From high-profile actors and established producers to community champions of music and dance, members of the creative industries have been recognised for their contributions to Australian culture.

Paul Fletcher, the Liberal Member for Bradfield, has replaced Victorian Senator Mitch Fifield as Federal Minister for Communications and the Arts.

$150 million to employ artists in schools as part of a scheme to foster young people’s creativity, and restoring Australia Council funding to pre-2013 levels are among the new policy announcements.

Tasmanian artists are increasingly exploring themes which speak to contemporary life, including the island's history of protest and activism.

The Aboriginal actor, who starred in The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith and The Shadow King, has died in Katherine aged 59.