Annual report

Outcomes of activities undertaken through the Arts and Heritage Levy are reported to council on an annual basis. As outlined in the Arts and Heritage Levy Annual Report 2023-2024, the Arts and Heritage Levy enabled Council to deliver a suite of programs to achieve the outcomes articulated in the Sunshine Coast Creative Arts Plan 2023-2038 and the Sunshine Coast Heritage Plan 2021-2031.

The 2023-24 Arts Program, with a contribution of $612,572 from the Arts and Heritage Levy, provided:

$55,000 to creative business development
$100,468 to First Nations creative arts programs
$60,000 local artist commissioning
$135,000 to support a competitive Creative Industries Investment Program
$53,023 to deliver artist-in-residence programs for local artists
$70,000 to support the development of a culture of arts philanthropy in the region
$93,700 to implement ArtsCoast marketing and audience development
$20,820 development of a regional Public Art Strategy
$24,561 to Arts Levy Futures Fund.

The 2023-24 Heritage Program, with a total contribution of $2,162,401 ($2,155,550 from the Arts and Heritage Levy plus revenue from sales and donations), provided outcomes including:

$20,000 for the Historian in Residence program, with two research topics: “Sunshine Coast Cemeteries: A Visitor’s Guide”; and “Documenting the Lives of the People who lived at Bankfoot House over 130 years”
$113,385 for cataloguing, digitisation, and database development associated with our significant regional collections, to enhance online accessibility and research potential
$239,150 for the conservation of the region’s heritage assets including state heritage-listed Landsborough Shire Council Chambers (Landsborough Museum), with its collection of over 14,000 objects; and state heritage-listed Bankfoot House, with its nationally significant collection of over 6,000 objects
$115,988 to support the region’s community museums and historical societies through practical workshops, professional development initiatives, expert advice, collaborative marketing and events, and progressing the Cultural Heritage Tourism Strategy
$163,412 provided through grants programs, to support community museums, historical societies, and First Nations groups, including support for cultural heritage projects developed in collaboration with Descendants of Australian South Sea Islander peoples.
$102,774 for regional heritage programs and events such as the First Nations Family Fun Day and Landsborough Museum Street Festival, and partnership events including Sunshine Coast Open House and the Horizon Festival.
$100,654 for engaging our community with the region’s heritage through digital stories, heritage trails, and online content.

The Arts and Heritage Levy significantly enhances Council’s ability to support arts and cultural heritage outcomes in the community, through mentoring and development initiatives, programs, events, and targeted projects. Council recognises the important role that both sectors and industries play in shaping and influencing our sense of community, belonging, cultural vitality and identity in a time of unprecedented growth and change.

View the Arts and Heritage Levy Annual Report 2023-2024 for more detail.

View past annual reports:

Watch the Sunshine Coast Cultural Heritage Discovery video.