MORRISON ABANDONS THE ARTS AGAIN

Scott Morrison has dashed the hopes of Australia’s arts and entertainment workers yet again, confirming they’ll need to keep waiting for a coronavirus rescue package that should have come months ago.

It has now been 102 days since Labor first called on the Morrison Government to deliver targeted support for workers in this $110 billion industry, which has been smashed by coronavirus restrictions.

Three weeks ago the Government finally gave the industry a glimmer of hope by suggesting a package was in the works. But the Prime Minister has today declared nothing will be announced until July.

Enough is enough. No more delays. This industry and these workers have been desperate for support for months. They need help now.

This was the first industry to be shut down and it will be one of the last to return to normal.

These workers have already lost hundreds of millions of dollars in income – and for many there’s no end in sight.

And yet the Government has knowingly excluded many of them from income support under JobKeeper. Many also cannot access JobSeeker. But until recently the Government was stubbornly insisting there was no problem at all.

At the COVID-19 inquiry today, MEAA representatives described the Government’s efforts to date as “laughable”.

“It’s dire,” the MEAA’s Paul Murphy told the committee. “The Commonwealth has been absent from this space. It is well past time for them to intervene with some specific support.”

More than 34,000 people have already signed Chloe Dallimore’s official petition calling on the Government to act.

This is an industry in crisis and the Government needs to step up and do something immediately.

TUESDAY, 23 JUNE 2020