LIVE PERFORMANCE SUPPORT FUND

The Albanese Labor Government will establish a national COVID-19 Live Performance Support Fund for events such as plays, concerts and festivals.

The live performance sector was hit hard by the pandemic. It was one of the first industries shut down – and two-and-a-half years later it’s still a long way from normal.

While the industry is learning to live with COVID-19 it still faces significant challenges that threaten its viability.

With COVID-19 still prevalent and isolation requirements still in place, the industry desperately needs confidence going into the summer events season. Organisers still face enormous financial risks putting on events that cannot be commercially insured against COVID-19.

The Live Performance Support Fund will be a demand-driven fund that will allow eligible event organisers to access coverage up to a defined percentage of their anticipated revenue – supported by the Commonwealth.

The program will run from November 2022 until February 2023.

It will provide coverage for events affected by the nationwide requirement to mandatorily isolate following a positive test.

This should have been set up years ago. The previous government put an insurance scheme in place for the film industry but stubbornly refused to extend it to the live performance sector. The industry’s pleas fell on deaf ears.

That meant a number of organisers lost their investments when events had to be cancelled at short notice because of public health orders.

Those cancellations were devastating not just for organisers but for the musicians, performers, tradies, lighting operators, food van workers, hospitality employees and others who had been counting on income from those events.

In Opposition, Labor promised to examine the need for such a scheme as part of consultations on our new National Cultural Policy. But this cannot wait until the end of the year. The industry needs confidence now – and the Government is giving it to them.

More information on guidelines and the application process will be available soon. 

TUESDAY, 27 SEPTEMBER 2022