The Federal Labor party has unveiled an extra spicy arts policy ahead of next weekend’s election, pledging to pump millions of dollars into the Aussie arts and music industry if we vote them into power.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten & co popped the cork on their arts funding plan at Melbourne’s Espy this weekend, allocating a mouth-watering $20 million dollarydoos to the Australian Music Live Music Fund to support live music venues, hotels, restaurants, cafes, festivals, precinct events and musos.
Under a Labor government, Sounds Australia will also score more than $10 million to drive music exports, the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) will cop $2.1 million for its mentorship programs, while blessed NFP Support Act will get $5 million – delivered over five years — to fund its life-saving services and develop a comprehensive mental health program for music industry workers.
The ALP also put a big onus on Indigenous music, arts, and culture in their funding blueprint, setting aside $3 million to support existing First Nations’ theatre companies and dance groups.
If elected, a Shorten government will also tackle scalpers by legislating a resale price cap of 110 per cent, outlawing ticket bots and directing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to act as watchdogs over the ticketing industry.
To boot, the ALP has also pledged an extra $40 million to fund the ABC (including your good m8s triple j & double j) and $20 million to SBS in a bid to boost local quality content.
“Our national broadcasters contribute to our sense of national identity and reflect our cultural diversity,” a joint statement, led by Shorten said (via The Guardian).
“They also play a vital role in supporting Australia’s screen content ecosystem by reinvesting funds into Australia’s independent screen production sector and supporting jobs across Australia.”
Labor also accused the Coalition of inflicting “funding cuts and ideological attacks” on the ABC, pledging to reverse the $83.7 million in cuts to the broadcaster from the government’s 2018 federal budget.
ICYMI the 2019 Federal Election will go down on Saturday, 18th May.
