Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the great privileges of representing Brisbane is the engagement I have with our amazing local creative sector. Our live music operators, venue owners, artists and musicians in both the CBD and surrounds, and especially in Fortitude Valley, are the best in the nation. Importantly, they are demonstrating a remarkable ability to pivot their businesses in these difficult times. As an example, the much loved and historic Tivoli theatre has transitioned into Brisbane's best dinner theatre venue, catering to smaller numbers with amazing live music and long tables of beautiful local food and wine on offer. The Triffid in Newstead has been utilising its spacious beer garden for some socially-distanced blues and roots, free gigs and Cabin Fever Festival. As always, legendary valley venue The Zoo has been supporting new artists with initiatives like 'five bands for five bucks' events and local album launches. They have all been genuinely creative and have supported local bands like the Cassowarys, Danny Widdicombe and the Dagwood Dogs. Importantly these venues have supported their surrounding hospitality businesses.

Just as many of our artists have been collaborating online in amazing ways, I can also commend all of the bars, clubs and venues for keeping at it. They've been amazingly resilient, and they supply such an important part of the unique Brisbane lifestyle and scene. Unfortunately, they get little respect from the stubborn and archaic Palaszczuk Labour state government. The state government's lockout laws, their trading hour impediments and their burdensome scanner regime still wreak havoc on these creative businesses, punishing the best venues and rewarding the worst. Not for the first time we have to ask the question: why does Labor appear to hate small business so much, or is it that they just don't understand small business because so few Labor MPs have experience in it? Luckily, the state's Shadow Attorney-General, Dave Janetzki, has pledged to review all of the oppressive over-regulation.

Let's support these businesses and the associated artists. Brisbane's chair of the night-time economy, Councillor Vicki Howard, has allocated much-needed support for the live-music venues from Brisbane City Council, and, along with the superb teams at QMusic and BIGSOUND, there are great plans afoot to keep live music at the fore of Brisbane's cultural scene.

I know that local arts organisations and local venues are already preparing for our government's $75 million RISE funding and our $20 million Live Music Australia programs. These initiatives will provide seed funding for arts organisations, venues and promoters to fund new events, activities and productions. I'll always be the strongest supporter of our amazing, hardworking and creative live music and arts scene in Brisbane.

Andrew Hastie (Canning, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In accordance with standing order 193 the time for constituency statements has concluded.