Shine a light ▶︎ Advocacy

Our goal is to illuminate, ignite and fuel creatives to make Coffs Coast the regional cultural capital of Australia.

Our group formed at the back end of the first pandemic-induced lockdown, in July 2020. As the creative industries shut down, many of us experienced a wake-up moment. The arts were in need of resucitation in the short term, and yet we found ourselves also pondering the long game and wondering, what type of support leads to a flourishing and prosperous Coffs Coast creative industries.

Our mission, therefore, is to:

  • advocate for policies and changes that support development of the creative industries;

  • engage in activites that help unify and connect creatives on the Coffs Coast.

To date, our achievements include influencing government planning documents and running industry networking events … more details below:

Government planning

Local, State and Federal Government plans guide and legitimise development in all spheres of industry, including the arts sector.

Following a group meeting and consultation with members of the Coffs Coast Creative Industries Facebook group, we collated and wrote submissions reflecting the concerns of our peers to influence two significant government planning documents:

  • 2036 Regional City Action Plan ( issued by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment)

  • Coffs Harbour City Council Draft Community and Cultural Facilities Plan 2021-31

In both instances, our submissions resulted in positive changes and additions to these important planning tools.

Industry networking

In November 2022, Blacklight Collective hosted a Coffs Coast creative industries networking evening, jointly funded by the NSW Small Business Commission, Coffs Coast Business Women's Network and Coffs Harbour City Council.

The event featured a keynote address, a panel discussion, free networking time and an interactive data gathering session.

A summary of the procedings can be found here.