MEDIA RELEASE - LABOR’S $20 MILLION RISK TO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT RECOVERY

MEDIA RELEASE

FRIDAY 19 AUGUST 2022

LABOR’S $20 MILLION RISK TO ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT RECOVERY

Australian arts and entertainment performers, businesses and their workers are being withheld vital support designed to aid in their recovery from the pandemic, Shadow Minister for the Arts, Paul Fletcher MP said today.

“Three months since taking office the Albanese Laborgovernment appears to be deliberately withholding an allocated $20 million in support under the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) fund that helped create over 213,000 job opportunities across Australia as the arts and entertainment sector recovers from the pandemic,” Mr Fletcher said. 

“Established by the Coalition Government, the RISE program has been highly successful in assisting the arts and entertainment sector re-establish itself post pandemic by way of competitive grants to arts businesses and organisations across Australia towards the cost of putting on activities such as festivals, concerts, tours, productions and events.

“$200 million has already been allocated and the Coalition Government allotted a further $20 million for RISE in the April 2022 Budget. This further round of RISE is ready to go. All Minister Tony Burke had to do was open the grant round.

“This $20 million of funding will directly translate to more shows, more jobs and more opportunities for Australians to see our talented performers on stage doing what they do best.

“It’s very odd that Minister Burke has let months go by without moving to allocate this round of funding.  If he had acted promptly the funding could have been allocated already, and new shows around the country would be getting underway.  

“It is surely inconceivable that a new Arts Minister would simply refuse to allocate $20 million of budgeted arts funding which is sitting there, ready to be used.  But if this is what Minister Burke plans to do, he needs to come out and say so clearly,” Mr Fletcher said.