PwC’s Russel Howcroft Calls For Creativity Commission

Advertising expert Russel Howcroft has urged Australia to establish a Creativity Commission, arguing that the country needs to find a way for creativity’s power to be better utilised.

In a LinkedIn post on Monday, Howcroft said the era of resting on natural assets to fuel Australia’s prosperity is over.

“We have to move up the value chain, and to do that, we need to find ways to better harness our human assets,” he wrote.

“Creativity can, and should, be one of our most significant drivers of future growth and competitiveness, but many still think creativity belongs in the sandpit and not on the spreadsheet.

“We need to find a way for creativity’s power to be front and centre in our economy.”

Howcroft said the role of creativity is to build value, and Australia needs to start taking it as seriously as P&L, dividends and working capital.

“In the new economy, creativity is a key driver of commercial competitiveness and edge,” he said.

“It is core to the way we develop and support ideas, find commercial opportunities, create business models and build relationships with consumers across the whole economy.”

PWC’s chief creative officer believes now is the right time to establish a Creativity Commission, and outlined what he thinks should be its four primary functions:

To support the growth of the creative economy.
To build creative capacities and ideas to help inform policy, initiatives and industry.
To recognise the interests of the community and how we can use creativity to facilitate better outcomes for the nation.
To support the development of creative and internationally competitive Australian businesses.

“We need to find a new way – an Australian way – of supporting creative approaches and persuading our decision-makers to think beyond the short-term and the politically marketable,” Howcroft said.

“A Creativity Commission would bring our best creative thinkers together to devise and support new ways to address our biggest challenges in game-changing ways. It would be our future fund of ideas, not just dollars.

“The new body would help remove barriers and empower businesses across sectors to collaborate and engage in creative thinking.

“Critically, it would fund start-ups, kickstart new ventures and help realise the IP that emerges from its work – empowering ideas through action.

“Finally, it would help supercharge and sell what we are doing across all areas of government and business.”

Howcroft concluded by saying that Australia needs great ideas and the capacity to realise them.

“A Creativity Commission would go a long way to achieving just that,” he said.

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Creativity Commission pwc Russel Howcroft