Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister representing the Prime Minister (Senator Cormann) to a question without notice asked by Senator Hanson-Young today relating to the arts.

Of course, the minister gave a very short response. He said yes, but failed to outline to the Australian people why indeed the arts matter here in Australia, to our community and to society, particularly at a time when we know not only that the arts and entertainment sector is the hardest hit during COVID-19—because of the lockdowns, because of the almost instantaneous shutdown of venues, cancellation of gigs, hundreds of thousands of jobs lost virtually overnight—but also that it's been Australia's arts and entertainment industry that have helped us get through these times of crisis, to get through the lockdown.

What were Australians doing during the period when everything was closed and people were being told to stay at home? They were watching Australian films. They were watching Australian TV shows. They were listening to Australian music. They were reading Australian books. They were engaging with creativity that has come from the minds and imaginations of Australia's creative artists.

The reason we need to ask this question about whether the arts matter is that this government has failed to put on the table an industry-specific package to help the arts and the entertainment sector. But, of course, we know they're rolling out schemes and programs for other industries—the building and construction industry, the home renovation package. They've given industry packages to some within the aviation industry. We know, of course, that their hand-picked, stacked COVID commission is full of people who are friends of the fossil fuel industry and who want to see more money for gas and coal. But of course the hundreds and thousands of Australians who are actually out of work in the arts and entertainment industry have been given nothing.

The Prime Minister did say a week ago that he had some revelation that something was needed. Well, where is it? A week on, and still nothing from this government. Months and months have gone by with Australian artists and entertainers left out in the cold, and still nothing from this government. Venues are closed, businesses are going to the wall and, of course, many of the businesses in the arts and entertainment industry are small businesses that employ a handful of people, gig by gig. Many of those people don't even have access to JobKeeper, let alone the industry-specific package that's desperately needed. So, yes, art does matter. It matters a whole lot, but this government fails to recognise that and it fails to do anything about it.

Let's look at those industries where they have put money in. They're pretty blokey. They're pretty much in line with what the Prime Minister likes; he likes his footy and he likes his home renovations. Fourteen per cent of construction and building industry employees are women—14 per cent of those who work in the building and construction industry are women. Who have lost their jobs in this crisis? The majority of workers who have lost their jobs in this crisis happen to be women. It's industries which have high numbers of female participation. More women have lost their jobs during COVID-19 than men, and where is the money and the support for those female workers?

We know that the gender split in the arts and entertainment industry is fifty-fifty. What else has the government done? They've cut the support to child care—more women in jobs—and then it's going to be even harder for the women who need the child care in order to get back into the workforce. So I ask the question: does the government care about the arts? That's debatable. Does the government think that arts jobs are real jobs? There's a big question mark over that. And does the government think that women's work is worth it? There's a very big question mark hanging over that question. Jobs for the boys and not many for the women.

Question agreed to.