Cultural Development Coordinator Jessica Moore said it was a good opportunity to make a major cultural impact as well as bring major economic benefits to the region.

"It would be a place to attract film production and infrastructure in our region," she said.

This would all be done under Dubbo's Shaping Plans to Advance Regional Culture (SPARC) program.

The program has a five year year framework, which details the priorities for Council's development for arts and culture in the Dubbo Local Government Area.

"SPARC is our cultural plan we developed in 2020, it came about as a result that Wellington Council as was didn't have a cultural plan and Dubbo council as was had a cultural plan that was last adopted in 2008 and therefore largely inactive," she said.

"Community told us what their definition of culture was which became the foundation of the cultural plan."

According to Ms Moore, when council undertook community consultation there was an overwhelming response that culture was not something exclusive to facilities.

"It was something you experience and interact with everyday, it is part of the fabric of people's daily lives and not bound by just the four walls of a gallery or theatre or a library," she said.

Ms Moore said culture was something "fundamental" to running Dubbo as a whole.

Over the last two years the Cultural Development Team has developed a number of partnerships with regional creative groups to support a range of projects and events.

In these annual partnerships, funding is provided to groups to enable them to enact a range of events and programs in support of direct SPARC outcomes.

Ms Moore said DRC provided funding to the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre to support their new migrant women's group so those women can come together in a safe, supportive environment and share stories and connect as a community in their new home of Dubbo.

"So, we see culture has a major role to play in welcoming people to our community, making them feel welcome and share in the growth of our community," Ms Moore said.

Ms Moore believes the number of partnerships will be increasing based off the amount of enquiries she's had this year alone.

"More and more groups see this as an opportunity and would like to participate in the cultural development opportunities across the region," she said.

Over the past two years, DRC has supported the provision of more than 50 standalone events, including the WestWords Writers Festival, One Eye Film Festival, Under Western Skies Music Festival, Fong Lees Lane Festival, and Community Creators Investment Program (CCIP), Art workshop for Dementia Patients and Carers, and more.

Over the last two years there have been a number of specific, standalone projects that have been supported by the distinct allocation of SPARC funding provided through the annual operational budget, and highlight the breadth of projects that have been able to be supported even with two periods of extended closures due to COVID including creation of the Dubbo Regional Museum Virtual experience, Dubbo Art Fair, New Temporary Exhibition Space fit out - Wellington Caves and Old Dubbo Gaol and more.

Ms Moore said the "high reputation" that DRC has, has contributed to some well known names wanting to be involved. Internationally renowned artist Tracey Moffatt, reached out directly to DRC to work with the team on a new site-specific art installation entitled A Haunting which is an abandoned farm house that pulses red light.

Ms Moffatt developed this artwork prior to lockdown when only travel to regional areas was possible.

In 2021 the Cultural Plan supported the DRC's application to Create NSW for three year program funding to support the work of Council. DRC was successful in gaining $268,500.00 ($89,500 per year, over three years) from the NSW Government to support cultural programing in the region.

"It was the second highest funding allocation in NSW for the program," she said.

READ MORE:

DRC plans on once again applying for another round of funding to plan for the future of the program.

Due to COVID-19 there were delays to some of the planned outcomes, so Ms Moore and her team requested for the Cultural Plan from 2020-2025 to be extended to move finalisation of the plan to 2030.

"The extension to timeframes will allow for sensible forward planning and the allocation of resources," she said.

"It will increase the opportunities to source grant funding and provide staff the time to address and respond to emerging opportunities without compromising the overall goals of the Cultural Plan."