Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, the government will be opposing your amendments. We believe that they are inappropriate amendments to this bill. Senator Hanson-Young, you're right—the Prime Minister and the minister for the arts have already confirmed that the government is looking at the issues impacting the arts, screen and entertainment sectors. In addition, a substantial number of organisations within the arts community are benefiting from the JobKeeper program. For example, I understand that Queensland Ballet, the Melbourne Theatre Company, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Opera Australia are all benefiting from the JobKeeper program. I'm also advised that the total support received for the initial JobKeeper fortnights in April by the creative and performing arts under the cash flow boosts and JobKeeper initiatives was around $99.6 million. We've also committed to a $27 million targeted support package for areas of the arts industry identified as being most affected by COVID-19, with dedicated financial support for Indigenous visual art centres and art fairs, regional arts and live music, and the performance industry.

It's very frustrating to see this bill, which has been around for some time, used for hobbyhorse issues by those from across the chamber, whether they be Centre Alliance, Labor or the Greens. We would like to stop playing political games, particularly with the lives of financial advisers, whom we seem to give nothing but banal platitudes of support. Let's let financial advisers have sufficient time to meet the government's new important standards.