Public art includes permanent artworks such as outdoor sculpture, artworks integrated into the design of public and open spaces, artworks integrated or attached to buildings, and temporary artworks such as murals and installations.

Public art may also include technology driven works such as lighting design, augmented reality and sound works.

Additionally, dedicated sites and platforms for temporary public art such as digital screens, construction hoardings, billboards and siting for sculpture can form part of a public art program.

For any object or design to be considered public art it must involve an artist (or group of artists) as the lead in creating the work.

Public art is a signifier of a contemporary and culturally mature city.

Establishing a clear framework for the commissioning and management of public art activity and collections ensures that Council’s public art program is focused towards achieving the liveability, inclusion and cultural development goals outlined in Council’s plans and strategies.

The Public Art Policy & Framework describes the decision-making process for commissioning public art.

Council will invite curators, artists and the community to participate in a public art expert panel. People on the panel will be able to give advice about public artwork when it's going to be permanent, or when it is going to be prominent.

For smaller, temporary artworks, Council will take the feedback gathered from the community during this public consultation period and form a curatorial framework which will assist decision-making.

An important part of the public art program is care of the collection.

The Public Art Policy & Framework describes how Council will manage and maintain public art assets, in line with Council's long term Asset Management Strategy.

Temporary artworks such as murals have a shorter lifespan, and Council may instead commission a new artwork to replace an artwork that has exceeded its intended lifespan.

New guidelines for community or landowner initiated public art projects will be developed to support the Public Art Policy & Framework.

Where possible, Council will seek to work in partnership with other entities to commission and manage public art for the benefit of the community. Projects and proposals that align with Council’s approach and framework will be encouraged and supported.

The first year of implementation of the policy and framework will focus on caring for the current collection, along with some planned new temporary artworks.

New Council-led public art opportunities will be identified through the annual budget process, through master planning for public spaces and through new capital works projects.

The curatorial framework will be developed following public consultation and from themes identified through community and stakeholder sentiment about public art in Monash.

It will be used as a guiding document when new public artworks are proposed by the community or developers, and when Council is developing briefs for new public art commissions.