Ms CHARISHMA KALIYANDA (Liverpool) (17:00): Artistic expression grew in lockstep with human cultural development and has long played an integral part in how we teach, learn, communicate and heal. Since our earliest ancestors began telling stories to make sense of the world we have evolved to learn from narrative, be it through visual media, song or performance. Creativity can help us navigate the journey of battling an illness or injury to process difficult emotions in times of emergency and challenging events. The creation and enjoyment of the arts helps to promote holistic wellness and can be a motivating factor in recovery. Including the arts in healthcare delivery has been shown to support positive clinical outcomes for patients while also supporting other stakeholders, including healthcare providers, a patient's family and loved ones, and the wider community.

A growing body of evidence confirms the significant and measurable impact of arts across multiple healthcare settings. In Liverpool, with so many organisations and networks of culturally diverse groups, there is fertile ground to utilise this impact for good in our health system. That is why the South Western Sydney Local Health District has launched itsHealth and Arts Strategy 2024 - 2029 to integrate health and arts as sustainable and viable tools to improve community wellbeing. The vision is a future where health and arts drive innovative, high-quality programs where creativity supports inclusive and healthy communities.

The strategy is best described in terms of four main areas of focus. The first focus, capacity and coordination, refers to the need for effective governance that coordinates resources and people to deliver programs. Over the past five years significant resources have been allocated to grow health and arts programs, with many successful projects delivered. Those projects have not only improved our community's overall wellbeing but also enriched our cultural landscape. Continuing to realise the benefits of health and arts collaboration is best done when we engage experts, which allows for the maximisation of organisational capacity. The strategy calls for the establishment of a clear governance structure that ensures accountability and facilitates sustainable coordination between the health and arts sectors while continuing to leverage the considerable expertise that exists within south‑west Sydney.

The second area of focus concerns partnerships and collaboration. South-west Sydney is a community largely built on a strong culture of working together. The health district seeks to use this approach in its strategy by bringing together key stakeholders to deliver initiatives that benefit our community. Those stakeholders include government, non-government organisations, local councils, educational institutions, artists and community organisations. It is the inclusion of a broad range of stakeholders that will allow the strategy to promote a holistic approach to wellbeing. To better facilitate those partnerships, the health and arts strategy proposes creating a front door—a point of contact for organisations willing to work with the district. It also involves the district actively and outwardly engaging with local stakeholders to continue to deliver the strategy. The end goal is to create a responsive and adaptable collaboration system that can advocate at all levels to ensure that south-west Sydney remains a hub of wellbeing and artistic expression into the future.

The third pillar of the strategy is promotion and community engagement. As members of this place, we already know the importance of engaging with the people we represent when we make decisions on legislation. The district also realises this and proposes that the broader community be consulted and engaged in the design and implementation of initiatives. The arts offer unique ways to convey healthy messaging to the broader community. It can often be a language in and of itself. There is already fantastic work being done across south‑west Sydney and the strategy seeks to promote that success on a more consistent and effective basis.

The final area of focus is research and innovation. As I have mentioned, there is a growing body of literature that supports the idea that there are quantifiable benefits to health and arts initiatives. The strategy suggests that we use this to continue research and add to that body of work. The district will leverage its existing partnerships with research organisations, universities, cultural organisations and education providers to build capacity in health and arts research, education and training, knowledge exchange opportunities and funding. By building upon the existing body of work, the strategy will help contribute to a more holistic and patient-centric approach to health care, recognising the intrinsic connection between health, wellbeing and culture. Recently I participated in a panel to launch this strategy. It was wonderful to see the range of community members and stakeholders who were present to celebrate the launch of the strategy, which will enable us to approach health care in a different way across south‑west Sydney.