culture.gov.au
Connecting you with Australian culture online
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Contents
| Purpose | Customer-focussed portals | History of the Portal | Services provided | Administration | Statistics | Using this site | Contacts |Purpose
The Culture and Recreation Portal provides access to online services and information in the fields of culture and recreation, from all levels of government and the non-government sector. The aims and objectives of the Culture and Recreation Portal are detailed in the Mission statement.
Customer focussed portals
This site is one of a series of Australian Government customer-focused websites or 'portals'. These portals and their entry point, australia.gov.au, form the Customer Focussed Portals Framework, part of the Government Online Strategy. The aim of the portals is to provide you with easy online access to government information and services by allowing you to find what you are looking for without having to know which government agency to contact.
Depending on the likely needs of the user, many of these portals will also provide access to non-government resources. Of the sites listed by the Culture and Recreation Portal, approximately 400 are government sites. The remaining sites are from non-government sources.
History of the Portal
The Culture and Recreation Portal, launched in June 2001, has been developed from the platform of Australia's Cultural Network (ACN), which has been available since 1997.
One of the aims of ACN was to promote the national arts institutions by providing wide electronic access to the cultural collections. The ACN objectives were to increase audience reach and provide innovative outreach programmes and to lay the foundations for cultural institutions nationwide to work more effectively together. It was noted that in order to provide a rich information environment it was important to link into major culture databases and to encourage developments in this area, and provide context and meaning.
Most of the sites listed and indexed by ACN are now listed and indexed by the Culture and Recreation Portal. With the expansion of scope to include recreation, we now list and index many additional sites relating to the sport and recreation sectors.
One of the aims of the Culture and Recreation Portal is to develop as a 'mature' portal based upon agreed minimum accessibility and usability standards as well as offering more sophisticated capabilities, including access to State and Territory and relevant non-government resources.
Services provided
Websites
The Culture and Recreation Portal provides access to over 3,900 Australian culture and recreation websites. The majority of the websites are 'indexed', which means that all text content of a website will be indexed enabling searches of content via our search engine. Websites we are unable to index will be 'listed', which means the website name and brief details will be listed in our search results, with a direct link to the website. Please check our website collection policy if you would like add a website to the Culture and Recreation Portal.
News and Events
In addition to access to Australian culture and recreation websites, this portal provides access to News and Events from the culture and recreation sectors and Australian stories on specific topics about Australian history and culture.
Resources
It is also an Internet development resource to help users develop a better understanding of the Internet and its potential uses. Resources include a comprehensive set of Internet Development Guides, and the OZeCulture eBusiness guide for the Cultural Sector.
Newsletter
Users can also register to receive a free email ozculture newsletter.
Contributors services
Specialist services for owners and developers of our indexed sites are available from the Contributors services screen.
Administration
The Culture and Recreation Portal is an initiative of, and is administered by, the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
Statistics
Culture and Recreation Portal statistics for July 2007 - June 2008:
- Visits per annum - 5 118 557
- Websites listed - 4095
- Pages indexed - 3 167 236
Using this site
For a quick guide see Navigating around this website. Assistance in using the site is also available at Help. You may also find the Frequently Asked Questions useful. To find out more about using our search facility, read our Help with searches and search results.
Our Sitemap provides an overview of the structure of this site.
Contacts
Please check the list of answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) before emailing us.
Use the Contact us screen to report any technical problems with the website and to suggest any improvements to functionality or usability.
Or you can write to us at the following address:
Culture and Recreation Portal
Australian Government Department
of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601
Australia
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