David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

It's my great pleasure to speak on this motion. The creative part of the economy, the arts and creative industry, is a massive employer. There are over half a million people involved in this industry, and 6½ per cent of the gross domestic product comes out of this industry. Without a doubt, it is a really critical part of the Australian economy. But in no other industry did COVID have such an immediate and deleterious effect on operations. The gig economy was put into hibernation because of COVID; in performance venues, crowd numbers were limited, and the venues couldn't operate unless they had people there. It's just extensive.

Whether they're metropolitan, regional or remote, all these creative pursuits lead to employment ; they are not just a hobby. The creative industries employ a lot of people—as I said, almost half a million. The official figures are about 410,000, but that doesn't count all the casual employment which can fly under the radar. That's what a lot of people have been telling me—because there's a committee of inquiry looking into this; the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts put out a survey and we are having an inquiry into this very industry—and one of the take-home messages is that they are feeling left behind. But, when you look at it dispassionately, JobKeeper and JobSeeker are available, and there are a series of other initiatives. The previous speaker, the member for Macnamara, just mentioned a couple of them. But there were some before the June-July announcement, and subsequently, and I'll just run through some of them.

This area of the economy has received enormous support. First of all, in April there was $27 million brought forward for targeted support for Indigenous arts, regional arts and Support Act, that wonderful group that supports people in this industry who are going through an adjustment period, including support for mental health issues and the social support needed when your income and means of support vanish. We also allocated or appropriated $41 million to tax and short-term red-tape relief initiatives, and there is an evaluation report coming through on that. The previous speaker, the member for Macnamara, mentioned the $250 million. That is a huge bonus. It's part of the JobMaker plan to restart Australia's creative economy, and there is a portion of funds for seed investment—the member for Macnamara mentioned the RISE initiative. That's a restart investment to sustain and expand the industry and get it back on its feet. There are states that are operating in a COVID-safe manner, and the $250 million of funding will be a great catalyst for getting things back on track. Then there's the massive Location Incentive Program, which was announced in July. That's $400 million. It's absolutely massive. Then there's a separate $50 million fund for temporary interruption, and that will operate for 12 months. It started on 1 July 2020. I'm just trying to think: which other section of industry has had such a comprehensive, extensive and significant fiscal consideration put in at such short notice? It's mind-blowing. And that is on top of improving cashflow initiatives, which every business is able to use, and there are the JobSeeker and the JobKeeper provisions, if they meet the criteria for them. So I thoroughly reject the proposal put forward by the member for Macnamara.

We're all in furious agreement: it's a wonderful part of the Australian economy that delivers economic empowerment and it gives people a noble profession. The creative arts have a wide spectrum, from modern digital creative works through to traditional performances of classical music, and many of those have had their venues minimised or, effectively, shut down. They've been on JobKeeper or JobSeeker, and the best tonic for the industry is the lifting of restrictions, which is happening in some states. (Time expired)

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