Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Sterle and Bilyk, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) recognises that:

  (i) arts and entertainment was one of the first Australian industries to be impacted by the restrictions on gatherings introduced in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, with the cancellation of exhibitions, concerts, theatre performances, festivals and other events,

  (ii) this has threatened the livelihoods of 50,000 professional artists and the 600,000 workers that support them,

  (iii) many artists are ineligible for existing economic support measures such as JobKeeper Payment despite losing 100 percent of their income,

  (iv) the Australian Government's $27 million funding package and other minor support measures fall far short of what is needed to save this $111 billion industry from financial disaster, and

  (v) despite admitting that they are spending $60 billion less on supporting Australian workers through this crisis, the Australian Government continues to refuse to provide the support the arts and entertainment industry needs; and

(b) calls on the Australian Government to provide a tailored support package for the arts and entertainment industry, in consultation with the industry, which is substantial enough to ensure that artists, arts organisations, arts industry workers and their families can survive financially through the COVID-19 crisis.