Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the first Australian industries to be hit by the restrictions that came into place in response to the COVID-19 crisis was arts and entertainment. While the restrictions on public gatherings were vital in stopping the spread of coronavirus, sadly, they also put a stop to the many events which the arts and entertainment industry relies on for much of its income. Museums, galleries, theatres, live music venues and TV and movie production sets were closed, and concerts, festivals and exhibitions were cancelled.

This has led to an uncertain future for many of Australia's 50,000 professional artists and the 600,000 workers who support them. While the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme has helped some artists and arts organisations, many are ineligible despite having lost 100 per cent of their revenue. This is why Labor has been calling, and continues to call, for a targeted and tailored package of support for the arts and entertainment industry. That package needs to be developed in consultation with the industry, and it needs to be substantial enough to make a real difference. Targeted support for the arts and entertainment sector from the government so far includes a $27 million support package; $7 million for Indigenous arts; $10 million to the charity Support Act; and $5 million for a relief and recovery fund. When you add these initiatives up, that's just shy of $50 million. This financial support is welcome, but it's a drop in the ocean for a $111 billion industry which has lost about a quarter of its workforce.

Live Performance Australia estimates that its segment of the industry alone needs $850 million in support to get through the crisis. That's more than 15 times what Mr Morrison's government is offering the entire industry. Just to give some context: this government gave $100 million in support to zoos. That support was no doubt necessary and welcome, but when a major industry receives half as much funding as that going to zoos it really calls the government's priorities into question. For those who know the history of the government's treatment of the arts, it should come as no surprise that they would abandon the industry in a time of need. People in the arts industry have long memories. They remember that those opposite cut nearly $90 million from the arts in their horror 2014 budget and withdrew $105 million from the independent Australia Council in 2015 and directed it to the Catalyst slush fund. To add insult to injury, they axed the federal arts department in December 2019.

Australia's screen industry is facing a crisis because the government has suspended key local content quotas for new Australian drama, documentary and children's programs. In early April this year, when the last round of Australia Council grants were announced, 49 small to medium organisations lost their funding. This included several in my home state of Tasmania, such as Tasdance, Kickstart Arts, the Salamanca Arts Centre and AustralianPlays. Some of these organisations have lost a large chunk of their revenue and are now facing an uncertain future. For Tasdance, it has put a damper on next year's celebration of their 40th anniversary, and the cut to the digital publishing services of AustralianPlays has national implications for the ability of playwrights throughout Australia to earn a living.

The Liberal's history of neglect and even apparent contempt for this industry clearly demonstrates that those opposite are not friends of the arts. But we on this side of the chamber understand the value of arts. We know that Australia owes it to the arts industry to help them through the crisis. Throughout the pandemic, they've given us the means, while confined in our homes, of keeping our minds active and engaged—of allowing our imaginations to escape to the outside world. During this period of self-isolation many of us have found comfort in Australian books, music, films and television, and the arts industry has helped us through previous crises, including raising funds for relief during the recent fires. In my home state of Tasmania, the arts do much more than just provide entertainment. They underpin our $3 billion tourism industry with attractions like MONA and festivals like Ten Days on the Island and Dark Mofo, drawing visitors from around the world. And we must remember that there are many community arts organisations that run programs promoting mental health wellbeing and social inclusion through the arts. Surely, after discovering their $60 billion JobKeeper bungle, this government can afford to provide serious funding to an important Australian industry which is gasping for breath. I urge those opposite to come up with a serious plan to save the arts.