The good people at I Lost My Gig Australia have been working hard to collect data on behalf of the live performance sector. With many major events being cancelled every day, the pandemic has left many in the gig economy without reliable income for the foreseeable future, and has forced prominent arts organisations and venues to shut their doors for at least the next month.
In response to this crisis, the live performance industry is calling for a $750M federal relief package to save the jobs, businesses, and livelihoods of Australia’s live music workforce. The sector will likely face serious and irreversible losses if the Government doesn’t intervene soon.
The requested $750M emergency support package includes:
- Immediate cash injections for the sector
- Mental health crisis and hardship support for artists, performers, musicians, crew, and technicians
- Live music venue grants
- Cash injection into performing arts companies and suburban / regional venues
- Extensions to all current government funding arrangements
Over 10,000 people have shared their stories on I Lost My Gig Australia and this data has been fed directly to industry bodies to help inform the industry relief package.
With each passing the day, the number of people in dire need is increasing . At the time of writing, reported lost income from live event and entertainment industry workers was over $250 million, an overnight jump of $50 million for the third day in a row. In addition, 240,000 job opportunities have been lost with over 470,000 workers impacted.
I Lost My Gig Australia continues to tally losses and encourages any sole traders, contractors and small-to-medium businesses impacted by event cancellations to record the impact by logging jobs lost on the site.
An overview of the emergency industry package can be found below.
Write to your elected representative
Announcements from Federal and state governments are expected in the coming days and in an effort to ensure workers and businesses in the creative industries are supported by government crisis funding packages, you are encouraged to write to your elected representative.
It’s imperative that you reach out ASAP. I Lost My Gig Australia has drafted two letters for you to send (one for customising, one you can send without adding anything), and include some contact details below.
Treasurer – Hon Josh Frydenberg MP
Josh.Frydenberg@treasury.gov.au or department@treasury.gov.au
Specific Coronavirus email: Coronavirusbusinessliaison@treasury.gov.au
Parliament Office:(02) 6277 7340
The Finance Minister – Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann
senator.cormann@aph.gov.au
Parliament Office:(02) 6277 7400
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts – Hon Paul Fletcher MP
Paul.Fletcher.MP@aph.gov.au
Parliament Office:(02) 6277 7480
Prime Minister’s Office
https://www.pm.gov.au/contact-your-pm
(you will need to cut and paste your letter in to the form via the link above)
Find your Local MP by postcode:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/
If you or someone you know needs support, there is help available:
Support Act Helpline: 1800 959 500
Lifeline Hotline: 13 11 14 or text their helpline on 0477 13 11 14
