Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I want to speak about two issues that are really important to my community of Macnamara. Our creative industries are more than entertainment, and Macnamara is home to world-class creative industries. We have some of the best artists, theatres, musicians, sound technicians and visual artists. So many different aspects of the creative sector are in the heart of my electorate. In our community, one in 10 people work in the creative industries, and I am proud of each and every one of them.

We are the arts capital of Australia. From live music venues in St Kilda to the theatres of Southbank and the studios in South Melbourne, a visit to Macnamara is a visit to some of the most iconic sites and venues. But you don't get them without training the next generation of artists, and one of the things that I am extremely proud of is that the National Institute of Dramatic Art, or NIDA as it's commonly known, the Australian National Academy of Music, ANAM, and the Australian Ballet School all have premises in my electorate. I had the privilege of visiting all three recently.

I know how important the arts are to our community and to society in general, which is why the Prime Minister and the Minister for the Arts came to Macnamara last year to launch our arts policy, Revive. For a decade, our arts institutions and industries were completely neglected by a coalition government. They were in sharp decline due to the funding that was cut from the arts, especially when they were left off the JobKeeper payments throughout the pandemic. That is slowly being turned around, and I am proud of the efforts that we are making.

I'm proud of the fact that we have delivered $115.2 million for the ARTS8 group, including the Australian Ballet School, which trains some of the most incredible future ballet performers; the Australian National Academy of Music, and if you haven't seen an ANAM concert or some of the classical performances in this building, where they have performed a number of times, then please come to a show either in South Melbourne or in the Melbourne Recital Centre, one of the great theatres of Melbourne; and NIDA, one of the premier dramatic arts institutions in the country and the world. These institutions needed a lifeline, and that's what they got. I've met countless times with them and I've been advocating inside government to ensure that they get the funding they need. With the Minister for the Arts, I was extremely pleased to go and visit the Australian Ballet School and speak to some of the students and watch their gruelling training. It was a remarkable reminder of how talented our artists are.

The other issue I want to talk about today is the St Kilda South post office. My office is situated on Barkly Street, at the corner of Acland Street, right in the heart of St Kilda. Only a few minutes walk away, down the wonderful Acland Street, is the St Kilda South post office. A few weeks ago, Australia Post announced that they would be closing down that post office. For many in our community, my own office and staff included, this post office is not just a place to send and receive mail; it's an integral part of the business community, the community and the comings and goings of St Kilda. It supports and sustains small businesses and it connects us all to the world and to each other.

The post office provides a critical service to our community. A lot of residents who have been in St Kilda for decades have used the St Kilda South post office, and it was extremely disappointing to hear that Australia Post had made the decision to close it.

One of my wonderful local constituents, a gentlemen by the name of Levi, decided to do something about it. He started a petition. It is extraordinary that Levi has managed to achieve almost 3½ thousand signatures from local people. I met with Levi and we discussed ways in which we would work together to try to communicate, push back and make sure Australia Post understands the full extent of what their decision will mean for our community.

I was also pleased to begin this week with a meeting with the Minister for Communications. She was extremely interested in the views of our community in Macnamara and agreed to do whatever she could to try to make sure that the community were heard and understood. We don't have the power in the act to direct Australia Post to remain open, but we obviously are going to do everything we can to ensure that the people of Macnamara and the people of St Kilda have fierce representation being made to Australia Post. We will continue working hard for our community, and we'll continue working hard for the almost 3½ thousand people who have signed the petition to keep the St Kilda South post office open.

House adjourned at 20:00