$250M hand up for struggling arts sector

Lights, camera, action! Scott Morrison will unveil a $250 million arts package which will help restart festivals, concerts and tours, and allow filmmakers to get new movies off the ground.

FESTIVALS, concerts and tours are set to relaunch through a $250 million package to get Australia’s devastated arts sector back on its feet.

New theatre productions, films and other arts events will also be able to get off the ground with the help of the JobMaker package which Prime Minister Scott Morrison will unveil today.

More than 9000 Tasmanians and 600,000 people nationwide work in the $112 billion arts sector which has been smashed by coronavirus restrictions, forcing many to rely on JobSeeker payments.

Mr Morrison said the arts package was about getting the “show back on the road to get ... workers back in jobs”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has given a $250 million arts fund the tick, with Tasmania set to be one of the big beneficiaries. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

Tasmania’s screen sector could be one of the big winners from measures to help filmmakers get finance for new projects.

Artists, musicians, filmmakers and theatre groups, whose work dried up virtually overnight, will be able to fund new projects and events through ‘Show Starter’ loans to be announced today.

Cash grants from $75,000 to $2 million will also be available to help production companies put on new festivals, concerts,tours and events when restrictions ease.

“This package is as much about supporting the tradies who build stage sets or computer specialists who create the latest special effects, as it is about supporting actors and performers in major productions,” Mr Morrison said.

“Many in the sector will find a new way to operate while the current social distancing measures remain in place. And while that won’t be easy ... there’s a strong desire among all Australians to see the return of gigs, performances and events.”

The package will include $90 million worth of concessional loans for new projects, to be delivered by commercial banks with a Commonwealth guarantee.

There will also be $75 million worth of grants for events, tours and festivals to be allocated through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund.

Film-makers will be able to launch new movies with the help of a temporary Commonwealth insurance guarantee, which will cover projects from a $50 million fund if production is halted by covid.

The screen sector has not been able to get new projects financed because insurers won’t provide cover for the virus.

It’s understood government is still considering the film sectors’ push for travel exemptions for international movie stars and crew to enter Australia to help seize on a wave of demand from overseas companies wanting to film here as a COVID-safe destination.

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A taskforce will be launched to deliver the $250 million package, which will also include $35 million to prop up significant arts and culture organisations facing collapse due to COVID-19.

More details about the rollout of grants and loans will be announced in coming weeks.

The package contains much of what the arts sector was calling for but is a third of the $750 million it requested.

The sector also wanted JobKeeper and JobSeeker payments extended for an extra six months, but a review of the wage subsidy is still underway.

Any changes will be announced on July 23.

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Federal Arts Minister Paul Fletcher said the plan would support businesses “getting back on their feet and getting people back in jobs”.

Mr Morrison also said it would pump money into related industries like tourism and hospitality, while supporting performers,artists, roadies, front-of-house staff and backstage crew.

He will talk to state premiers about getting more certainty for the entertainment industry on when it would be able to restart.