Death knell for Live Performance Industry without targeted industry package

The economic stimulus package announced on 22 March was welcome and critically important for the Australian economy by providing support for workers and businesses impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

“The shutdown of events and venues in response to coronavirus has already cost our industry thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in lost income,” said LPA Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson.

“Australians who work in live performance or who rely on the industry for their livelihood have been the first to be hit by the coronavirus economic tidal wave and they will be the last to recover.

“We expect that people and businesses who operate in our industry, including our large casual workforce and sole traders, will be able to access some of the help that has been announced today, including faster access to income support payments.”

“However, many of our performing arts companies and businesses have seen their entire revenue evaporate overnight.

“The small business package measures announced today, while welcome, will not make a material difference to 80 percent of our companies.”

“These are businesses whose entire revenue has fallen off a cliff. Without immediate support, they won’t survive. They also have no certainty about when or if they will be able to resume operations in the future.”

“As the Prime Minister warned on March 22, this is not a two or four-week situation. We are in this for six months or more. Without a targeted, immediate and substantial support package, there will be no bridge to recovery for these companies and they will die.

“We are on the front and back ends of this crisis, and without immediate and substantial support for under-capitalised commercial and Not-For-Profit companies, we won’t have an industry in the next few months.”

“Following the second stimulus package announced today, our industry needs an additional $650 million in targeted support measures to be announced in the next few days.

“On March 22, Australia’s live performance peak body and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) stood united in calling for a clear commitment from government that it will provide an emergency industry package.

“Otherwise, this will be the death knell for Australia’s world class live performance industry,” Ms Richardson said.

An overview of LPA’s revised emergency industry package can be found here:
(https://liveperformance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Live-Performance-Industry-Package-FINAL-v2.pdf.)

Live Performance Australia (LPA) is the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry. Established over 100 years ago in 1917 and registered as an employers’ organisation under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, LPA has over 400 Members nationally. We represent commercial producers, music promoters, major performing arts companies, small to medium companies, independent producers, major performing arts centres, metropolitan and regional venues, commercial theatres, stadiums and arenas, arts festivals, music festivals, and service providers such as ticketing companies and technical suppliers. Our membership spans from small-medium and not-for-profit organisations to large commercial entities. 

LPA has a clear mandate to advocate for and support policy decisions that benefit the sustainability and growth of the live performance industry in Australia. 

CX Magazine – April 2020   

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