Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

It is extremely disappointing, frankly surprising and, I suspect, for many people in the arts and entertainment industries, insulting to hear the minister describe the economic crisis being experienced by the arts and entertainment sector as a 'hobby horse'. That's certainly not the experience of the people whom I've been talking to, and I'm frankly shocked that you would describe it in those terms. This is an industry that has been shut down by the government and then abandoned. First, the government tried to pretend that the JobKeeper and the jobseeker packages were arts packages, which they plainly were not. Then it gave $27 million to some selected parts of the sector, which was welcome but nowhere near enough. Now it is talking about a relief package, but to date there is absolutely nothing to be seen, and those in the arts and entertainment sector could be forgiven for feeling that this government doesn't care about them and, in fact, holds them to contempt, as evidenced this morning by the description of this issue as a 'hobby horse'. How disgusting!

These people are workers, and they are absolutely vital to the beating heart of our nation. They need your help now, and it's only the government that can actually deliver it because it is the government that, at the moment, unfortunately, occupies the Treasury benches. It holds the purse strings.

Labor will be opposing this amendment. It's regrettable, but the truth is that the only way we can get action is for this government to act—this government that considers this issue a hobby horse. These amendments purport to create what is described as an arts and entertainment industry coronavirus recovery fund, but the sad truth is that they create an appropriation with no dollar value. As much as the Greens might try to convince us otherwise, and I commend their sincerity in this regard, the only way to deliver a much-needed funding boost to the arts and entertainment sector is for the government to move. The Prime Minister, Mr Morrison, and the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, the missing Mr Fletcher, have been repeatedly found wanting. People cannot wait any longer.

Question negatived.