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Wed 13 December, 2023
Fri 12 January, 2024
Week commencing Mon 15 January, 2024
Week commencing Mon 22 January, 2024
Week commencing Mon 5 February, 2024
March 2024^
21 June – 7 July, 2024
1-11 August, 2024
^Remaining meeting dates to be determined
in collaboration with the successful candidates.
BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS are inviting expressions of interest from people who identify as d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent to join a new initiative – the Disability Inclusion Reference Group. Applicants are encouraged to have relevant experience in creating, delivering or attending arts and cultural events and a passion for accessible and inclusive arts practise.
BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS are committed to building workplaces, creative environments and audience experiences that support respectful, authentic, and inclusive representation of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and embedding these principles throughout the planning and delivery of both festivals.
BLEACH is one of Australia’s leading place-based contemporary arts festivals. The festival has played a pivotal role in terms of reinvigorating the cultural life of the Gold Coast and provided significant impact to and influence on the development of the arts and culture ecology in the south-east QLD region.
BIG CITY LIGHTS is South-East Queensland’s leading festival of urban and digital design, digital culture, music and light taking place during the Winter months.
BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS are part of the newly formed Experience Gold Coast.
Experience Gold Coast has brought together Destination Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast, Placemakers, and HOTA, Home of the Arts under one entity. Our focus is on strengthening the Gold Coast’s position as Australia’s premier tourism destination, being a home of major events, a preferred place to study and delivering arts and cultural experiences.
The purpose of the group is to provide advice and guidance to support the strategic vision of the annual BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS festivals. This includes:
Members of the Disability Inclusion Reference Group will be paid to attend between 3-4 meetings a year, where they will provide advice and guidance as outlined above. Further details of these meetings (exact dates, times, lengths, etc) will be negotiated directly with the members of the group, factoring in their availability and access requirements.
Once the meeting schedule is confirmed, Group members will be expected to make all possible efforts to attend scheduled meetings. Procedures pertaining to a members non-attendance for access reasons will be discussed and decided on within the first meeting of the group.
Members will be invited to attend key events connected to BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS including Festival performances, launch events and fundraising activities. Attendance at these events is optional and does not form part of the members paid duties, unless otherwise agreed with the members directly.
The Reference Group shall comprise of a minimum of four (4) and maximum of six (6) members.
Members will:
Membership of the Reference Group will, where possible, reflect a broad range of lived experiences, including diversity of disability experience, age, gender and cultural background. Experience Gold Coast encourages expressions of interest from people with disability of all backgrounds and intersectional identities including First Nations, LGBTIQAP+ and those with culturally and ethnically diverse heritage.
Reference Group meetings shall also be attended by Experience Gold Coast employees:
Head to our Frequently Asked Questions below for more information about the role and application process here.
BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS are committed to being as inclusive and accessible as possible. If you require any of the materials in a different format, or would like to discuss how we can accommodate any access requirements you may have in order to apply, please contact Admin & Operations Coordinator, Emma-June Curik.
Email: admin@placemakers.org.au
Phone: 0755 256 468
Mobile/SMS: 0438 249 748
The Disability Inclusion Reference Group will be a group of individuals who identify as d/Deaf, disabled neurodivergent who meet several times a year and provide advice and guidance about disability inclusion and access to the team of people that organise BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS Festivals.
BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS are arts festivals, previously run by an organisation named Placemakers Gold Coast and are now part of the newly formed Experience Gold Coast.
BLEACH is one of Australia’s leading place-based contemporary arts festivals. The festival has played a pivotal role in terms of reinvigorating the cultural life of the Gold Coast and provided significant impact to and influence on the development of the arts and culture ecology in the south-east QLD region.
BIG CITY LIGHTS is south-east QLD’s leading festival of urban and digital design, digital culture, music and light taking place during the Winter months.
Experience Gold Coast has brought together Destination Gold Coast, Major Events Gold Coast, Study Gold Coast, Placemakers, and HOTA, Home of the Arts under one entity. Our focus is on strengthening the Gold Coast’s position as Australia’s premier tourism destination, being a home of major events, a preferred place to study and delivering arts and cultural experiences.
Reference Group meetings are most likely to be held via a digital meeting platform like Zoom or Teams. However, a hybrid (both digital and in-person) meeting format may be considered if the access requirements of the selected Group members require it.
The Reference Group will meet between 3-4 times a year, with exact dates and times to be negotiated directly with the Group members.
It is anticipated that each Reference Group meeting is likely to be somewhere between one to two hours, depending on how many items need to be discussed and the access requirements of the Reference Group members. The group members will make a collective decision about things such as; meeting format, break times, who will lead meetings etc.
Reference Group members may also need to do a small amount of preparation for each meeting, for example; reading and understanding the agenda for the meeting, reading research/background materials sent through by the BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS teams.
Members of the Disability Inclusion Reference Group will be paid a fee per meeting they attend.
Members of the Reference Group will also be invited to attend a selection of BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS events, however attendance at these events will be optional.
Absolutely! Please make sure that you list your access requirements on your Expression of Interest application, and if we need to discuss further with you, we’ll be in touch.
We are looking for a Reference Group that can provide insight and advice about how to make our two festivals, BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS more accessible and inclusive, particularly to people with disability. If you have skills and experience that mean you would be a good person to provide this insight, then we would love to hear from you.
This might mean that you have experience in creating art, delivering events, or in attending events – we hope that our Reference Group members will be able to bring a wide cross-section of skills and experiences to the Group’s work.
There are a number of ways you can submit your expression of interest form, including:
Video submissions must be submitted via a link (do not send video files) and hosted on an online platform that is not password protected.
To post your submission, send to:
PO Box 82
C/Emma-June Curik
PACIFIC FAIR, QLD 4218
If you need to submit your EOI in a different format for access reasons, please contact us and we will discuss the best way for you to get your application to us.
For any questions about the application, including additional formats or technical questions, you can contact our Admin and Operations Coordinator, Emma-June Curik via the following methods:
Email: admin@placemakers.org.au
Phone: 0755 256 468
SMS: 0429 489 969
It is important that the members of the Reference Group understand the landscape and community in which BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS operate, and so we believe that our members should demonstrate some connection to the Gold Coast and the surrounding region.
However, this does not mean that all members need to currently live on the Gold Coast – they may have other connections, such as working, a strong history of advocacy, prior residence etc.
If you have questions about this part of the submission, we encourage you to get in contact with us to discuss this further before submitting.
All Expressions of Interest will be reviewed and shortlisted by an internal panel of BLEACH and BIG CITY LIGHTS staff, at least one of which will identify as a person with disability.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview in early 2024. The interviewing panel will also include at least one person with disability.
A conflict of interest is a situation when a person’s personal goals or interests may affect their ability to carry out their duties in an objective way, or where they may benefit personally from the role.
In context of the Disability Inclusion Reference Group, a conflict of interest could include:
Yes. You can still apply if you have a conflict of interest, however, it is very important that you state it clearly in your application.
If we need more information, we’ll be in touch.
You may also need to declare your conflict of interest each time you attend a meeting.
For any questions about the Disability Inclusion Reference Group, including additional formats or technical questions, you can contact our Admin and Operations Coordinator, Emma-June Curik via the following methods:
Email: admin@placemakers.org.au
Phone: 0755 256 468
SMS: 0438 249 748
If you have any feedback about this page, or the Reference Group, we encourage you to contact us via these methods and a member of the team will reach out to discuss your thoughts with you. If you have a specific way you prefer to communicate (with an Auslan interpreter, Zoom call, phone etc.) we encourage you to let us know when you contact us, so we can continue the conversation in your preferred communication style, wherever possible.
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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Yugambeh Language Region and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People of the Gold Coast. We recognise their continuing connection and contributions to country and culture. We pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
© Experience Gold Coast 2024 | Website by Embark
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Yugambeh Language Region and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People of the Gold Coast. We recognise their continuing connection and contributions to country and culture. We pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
