The Show Must Go On: Australia's live performers plead for government-backed insurance scheme
Peak Australian music and entertainment industry bodies want the federal government to commit to a UK-style insurance scheme which would compensate artists impacted by COVID19 cancellations.
BY DANIELLE ROCHE
Peak Australian music and entertainment industry bodies are pushing for the federal government to incorporate a UK-style insurance scheme in light of disproportionate industry impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an open letter released August 6, groups including Live Performance Australia (LPA), Live Entertainment Industry Forum, the Australian Festival Association increased their pressure on all levels of government to take immediate action in helping to rebuild the sector.
The call follows the UK’s announcement earlier this month of a £750 million ($1.4 billion AUD) government-backed insurance scheme, in partnership with commercial insurers, for live events.
The scheme would ensure financial security for artists and others employed in the live performance industry, providing compensation for the waves of cancelled events.
The bodies wrote in the statement that such a government-backed insurance scheme is the “missing piece in the puzzle” and will allow the public to return to the many experiences they missed due to the pandemic.
“Australia’s live music and entertainment sector is not just vital for the economy and jobs, it provides the beating heart of city-centres and regional areas as the nation recovers from latest lockdowns,” the statement read.
According to a national survey of more than 2000 professionals, 28,000 gigs and events have been cancelled since July 1 this year, amounting to around $84 million in lost income.
ARIA and Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) CEO Annabelle Herd said in the statement the UK scheme provided a template for the Australian government to follow.
“Without a scheme like this, it is going to be a very quiet and sad summer," Ms Herd said.
One aspect of the live performance industry, which has been particularly affected by persisting snap lockdowns and crowd restrictions, is Melbourne’s independent theatre sector.
This high impact has been due to Melbourne’s heavy reliance on independent theatre, rather than on large theatre companies.
Whilst there is some funding available for the sector, it does not sufficiently reflect the disproportionate impact that is experienced by independent theatres.
Little Ones Theatre founder Stephen Nicolazzo said independent theatre is the “lifeblood of the mainstage”, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the stability of an already insecure industry.
“Independent artists have been affected more in terms of their financial security than ever before,” Mr Nicolazzo said.
“[This] makes it even more perilous to be an artist.”
While mainstage companies are still struggling to support themselves despite the availability of government grants, Mr Nicolazzo said independent artists have virtually no support systems to fall back on.
“The top has been decimated and therefore the middle and the bottom have been as well,” he said.
“The only way that I know how to express myself is through theatre…it’s a big part of the makeup of my DNA.”
According to the National Arts Participation Survey, 37 per cent of Australians visited the theatre in the year preceding the pandemic.
However, Live Performance Australia has estimated a 6.6 million attendance reduction and $540 million loss in ticket revenue for every three months of live performance bans.
Melbourne’s latest lockdown means local performance artists are now facing show interruptions for the sixth time in 16 months, resulting in significant losses to an industry which ordinarily provides $14.7 billion a year to the national GDP.
Theatre communications coordinator at independent venue fortyfivedownstairs Katy Turbitt worked to salvage Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s sold out production of King Lear, which closed after its opening night on May 28 this year.
Ms Turbitt said the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis forced fortyfivedownstairs staff to face the idea of closing the venue permanently.
“It’s been extremely difficult and [we] thought that [we] were going to have to close the doors last year,” she said.
Ms Turbitt said many Melburnians do not realise how intrinsic the performance scene is to the city, making the survival of such venues vital to the local community’s culture.
With government support for the industry lacking, Support Act is currently the only charity in Australia providing crisis support for performing arts industry workers in need.
