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$20 million to support Australia’s creative sector to RISE
Australia’s creative and entertainment sector has received another major boost, with the Morrison Government announcing that $20 million will be shared by 63 leading organisations across the country, under the fifth batch of grants from the $200 million Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the RISE Fund continues to provide immediate funding to support during an especially difficult period for the sector.
“This latest $20 million of funding is creating a pathway to recovery that will support nearly 23,000 jobs in more than 560 locations, more than half of which are located in regional and remote Australia,” Minister Fletcher said.
“As the vaccine rollout continues at a strong pace, with 60 per cent of Australians 16 and over now having received at least one dose, it is important that our arts and entertainment sector is primed to get activity restarted just as soon as public health requirements allow. The National Plan clearly sets out the key benchmarks for opening up at 70 and 80 per cent vaccination levels.
“As those benchmarks come into sight, funding under RISE has a critical role in catalysing the restart of activity. RISE funding, under this round and previous rounds, has been allocated to an extensive range of projects, across all states and territories, and across many different forms of arts and entertainment.
“The Morrison Government’s objective, in providing this record level of funding for arts and entertainment, is that as states and territories open up, arts companies, promoters and festivals are ready to go. We want to see venue doors thrown open to audiences; we want to see the curtains going up; and we want to see performers coming on stage to a welcoming roar of applause.”
Chris Saines CNZM, Creative Economy Taskforce member and Director of the Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), said the RISE Fund is providing essential support for getting shows back on the road.
“This funding is providing much-needed hope and confidence for the arts and entertainment sector to plan and deliver projects across the nation, providing momentum to recover from the pandemic and sustaining livelihoods,” Mr Saines said.
Among the fifth batch of grants, the RISE Fund is granting:
- An extra $400,000 for Melbourne Digital Concert Hall – to continue supporting the future of Australia music, building on the success of their livestream events which have already raised more than $1.5 million for the industry during the pandemic.
- $2,000,000 for Sculpture by the Sea – to deliver its popular exhibitions over the next two years at Bondi and Cottesloe in a COVID safe way.
- $65,000 for The Holy Holy band – to support their return to a national tour across regional Australia following a lengthy hiatus imposed by COVID-19.
- An extra $730,000 for Brickman Exhibitions – to deliver a national tour to some of Australia’s most prominent exhibition spaces and regional locations. The exhibition includes unique LEGO® Brick artistic sculptures combined with a program of hands-on create-and-learn activities.
The RISE Fund enables artists and organisations to develop significant COVID-safe measures, including upgrades to protocols and infrastructure, minimising the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for audiences.
The Government has now allocated $160 million of the $200 million RISE Fund, creating more than 167,000 job opportunities and expanding cultural and creative experiences for audiences across Australia.
The Morrison Government is investing more than $1 billion into the arts and creative sector in 2021-22.
The full list of Batch 5 recipients can be found in the PDF attached.