Anne Urquhart (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

How good is live music? I went to the Good Gumnuts Festival on Saturday, in my electorate of Braddon. The Albanese Labor government is delivering on its commitment to keep Australia's music scene strong, supporting venues, keeping festivals vibrant and ensuring artists can continue doing what they love. Through the Revive Live program, 105 organisations right across the country received support, including in Braddon. I was especially pleased that the Good Gumnuts Festival received $70,000 to support Australian artist fees, professional development, production and accessibility. What began as a first-anniversary celebration for Harry Badcock and Charlotte Grey has now grown into one of the region's favourite festivals—an event that brings families, music lovers and visitors together in a spectacular setting. Good Gumnuts has always been about community, connection and joy. This funding has helped ensure that that spirit continues to grow.

The line-up on Saturday was outstanding, and it was fantastic to join so many locals and visitors to support a festival that truly reflects the heart of the north-west. To the event volunteers: thank you for your hard work and dedication—you made the entire weekend run seamlessly. To Harry and Charlotte: congratulations! What you've created is something truly special. Your passion for music, for arts and for culture is strengthening our community and bringing new life and visitors to our region.

I'm proud to highlight the Albanese Labor government's strong commitment to supporting Tasmanians who are doing it tough, including in Circular Head, in my electorate of Braddon. We've delivered a $5.7 million boost to emergency relief funding for Tasmania, shared across 10 local providers. This represents a 35 per cent increase in annual emergency relief funding for our state through to 2030, taking our total investment to almost $18 million. One of the key organisations benefitting from this support is Wyndarra, a fantastic, trusted, community based service that has been there for Circular Head residents for decades. This additional funding means that Wyndarra can offer more support for supermarket, petrol and pharmacy vouchers, more food parcels and toiletries and, importantly, more compassionate support when people need it most.

But emergency relief is only the first step. With this investment, Wyndarra can continue connecting people to longer term assistance, such as housing support, financial counselling and wellbeing services that help families regain stability and move forward with confidence. Local services like Wyndarra understand the unique challenges faced by our rural communities. They know their community, they respond quickly and they provide support and dignity with care. That's why this investment matters. It ensures that no-one is left behind and that help is available close to home when and where it's needed.

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