Before the days of livestreams, Simon Crean wanted as many artists, creative organisations and interested Australians as possible to join a national conversation about our cultural future. And so, as minister for the arts launching a new national cultural policy, he decided against the typical arts venue that might limit that conversation to industry circles alone. Instead, in 2013 Crean launched Creative Australia at the National Press Club—in front of the press gallery, and audiences across the country watching the live broadcast—seizing the opportunity to detail the policy to hard-nosed journalists as well as everyday Australians.

This commitment to balancing the local and the national says a great deal about the values that drove Crean, keeping him connected to the arts both before and after his political career.