Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Higgins, who has had a strong interest in the arts, entertainment and screen sectors. She is absolutely right: there is nothing the showbiz world likes better than a good comeback story. And we've got one. The Morrison government is ensuring that our comeback has the arts, entertainment and screen sectors centre stage where they belong—our performers and creatives coming back, along with the backstage crew, front of house, ushers, box office and all the people employed in this sector. This year we've announced almost $800 million in extra funding for the arts, entertainment and screen sectors. On top of the $750 million of business-as-usual funding from the Commonwealth for the arts sector there is $558 million through JobKeeper and $110 million in cashflow support for the 40,000 people in the performing and creative arts subsector, who of course are just a part of the more than 600,000 people who work in the cultural and creative sector.

We are putting that money to work. We are getting people in the arts, entertainment and screen sectors back to work. In the screen sector we've announced a $400 million location incentive, and productions from around the world are coming to Australia. Already announced are Young Rock, Joe Exotic and Irreverent in Queensland; Blacklight in Melbourne; Escape From Spiderhead in Queensland; Pieces of Her in Homebush in New South Wales; 13 Lives in the Gold Coast hinterland; and The Tourist in South Australia, which was announced over the weekend. In total there are 2,900 jobs for cast and crew, 8,000 jobs for extras and $440 million of expenditure.

There is $50 million in the Temporary Interruption Fund to support local film and television production. Almost all of that has been allocated and put to work, with 23 productions supported to resume production. There is the $75 million RISE Fund—the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand Fund. We have announced and allocated the first round of that—$60 million, very consciously front-end loaded, to get people back to work. There are 115 projects, 1,000 locations and 44,000 jobs. In all states and territories, 11 million Australians collectively will form the audience for these events. Adelaide Fringe gets $1.5 million. Darlinghurst Theatre Company gets $600,000. Bluey's Big Play gets $1.8 million. The Islamic Museum of Australia gets $600,000. Byron Bay Bluesfest gets $1 million. It goes on.

Arts and entertainment events occurring around the country means jobs in arts and in adjacent sectors like tourism and hospitality. And it means lifting Australian spirits, with our creatives and performers getting out there. We need our spirits lifted after 2020, and our arts and entertainment sector is going to do it.

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