Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support for the member for Boothby's motion. Never has it been more important to support the arts. Everyday Australians are creating, looking, watching, experiencing and participating in art every day—and now through COVID-19—in so many ways that we would never have imagined before the dawn of the internet. Successive federal governments have invested in the arts over many years, driven by the need for a collective identity and the formation of our reputation in postwar Australia. We began to identify what our expression of us would look like. Trusts were formed, and the public broadcasting station, the ABC—our ABC—added to the new sound of Australia, showcasing for the first time local Australian talent. I'm proud that the former member for Higgins, Harold Holt, announced plans for a national gallery of Australia and formed the Australia Council for the Arts.

Supporting the arts and culture has many purposes. It drives social improvement and contributes to the economy. It makes a hugely important contribution to our sense of self and, just as importantly, to our sense of self as a nation, in particular through our Indigenous art, which is precious and globally unique. For all the art and culture sector contributes to our community, it is fragile. It is beholden to a strong economy. And, often, it's the first thing to drop out of the family budget when times are tough. The value of art can drop with the stock market, and the success of a show or gallery is based on the amount of people that come through its doors.

But our artists are resilient. We know that. Their passion for their work survives most storms, even if many have had to pivot to new ways of expression, as we've all had to do through COVID. The Australian creative economy contributes about $112 billion a year—almost six per cent of our GDP. The arts, entertainment and screen sectors employ more than 600,000 Australians. But, as with any great endeavour, the sector is not just about the artists and actors with their names up in lights. These industries are full of teams supporting the artists' endeavours: the roadies, the producers, the lighting technicians, the set designers, the ushers and the security guards. So when these jobs were threatened by the COVID pandemic, the Australian government was there to support them: first with JobKeeper and JobSeeker and then with a whole suite of industry-specific measures.

These measures were implemented to protect our arts and our creative and cultural sector. We rely on this sector for its beauty, for its joy, for its connection, to be challenged, to be provoked and for our sense of self. We've needed the arts through COVID, and we will need them more than ever when the world starts to open up again. More than that, we want to make sure that this industry will be ready to thrive when the world gets back to business. The Morrison government is working closely with the Australia Council, the Australian government's arts funding and advisory body, to understand the best kind of support needed by the sector. This is through a ministerial task force, which will work to implement the JobMaker plan for the creative economy. The Creative Economy Taskforce, announced over the weekend, will bring together members from many aspects of Australia's arts and cultural sectors. Their extensive experience will play a critical role in ensuring Australia's vibrant and energetic arts scene is returned following the impacts of coronavirus. Through JobKeeper and boosting the cash flow support, we're supporting individuals and businesses—totalling around $100 million a month in the arts sector alone.

We know that the art and cultural industries were halted almost overnight, often in the middle of productions. So, with the help of Screen Australia, $50 million has been injected into a temporary interruption fund and will be administered to support local film and television producers to secure finance and start filming again. For those who need help getting back on their feet now that we've started to open up, $90 million in concessional loans will be available to fund new productions and events. These will help get the creative economy moving again, in the form of show starter loans. Seed funding will be available to art productions for new productions, events or festivals, to support the reopening of Australia's creative and cultural sector.

This targeted financial intervention will stimulate and support businesses in the cultural and creative sector to restart today and ensure that they are there for everyone to enjoy tomorrow. We know this sector has been fragile, and we've made sure that we're there for them to make sure that they're there for every Australian.

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