Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for the Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The COVID pandemic has changed the way we all live, and it has hit some aspects of life particularly hard. Without doubt, one of those is our ability to enjoy arts and cultural activities. These are not marginal activities nor optional extras. They are the core of our lives socially, culturally and, for hundreds of thousands of Australians, economically—because it's their life work—yet an estimated 65 per cent of full-time-equivalent jobs in live entertainment and cultural industries were lost in 2020. Revenue now remains at one-third of 2019 levels, and for those who rely on international custom it's less than 10 per cent. Many operators report their capacity to support staff is entirely dependent on JobKeeper.

The week before last, it was good to share a beer and listen to a couple of up-and-coming bands with Labor leader Anthony Albanese at Mojos, a live music institution in Fremantle. Unfortunately, Mojos, like many arts and cultural businesses, is focused with sharp apprehension on the cliff that is approaching because the Morrison government, ignoring all the warnings and all the evidence, is yanking away support. I cannot understand why this government is so blind to the enormous value of arts and cultural organisations and workers in this country. Artists and their work—their music, stories, theatre, dance, film and the full spectrum of visual arts—should be acknowledged, supported and cherished, not left scrabbling for survival, not left rolling towards disaster.