Australia’s creative and entertainment sector has received a major uplift, with the Morrison Government announcing that $25 million will be shared by 66 leading organisations across the country, under the third batch of grants from the $200 million Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund.
Making the announcement this morning from Brisbane’s Tivoli Theatre, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the latest funding would begin to flow immediately to rejuvenate live performance venues and events, creating more than 25,000 employment opportunities across the country.
“We understand the widespread disruption to creative organisations from the pandemic, which is why the Morrison Government is pleased to inject more than $25 million through Batch Three of the RISE Fund,” Minister Fletcher said.
“This funding is an important step in the rejuvenation of Australia’s arts sector from COVID-19, and will support our much-loved venues putting on activities such as festivals, concerts, tours, productions and events, particularly in regional and remote areas.
“Tivoli Theatre is one of the 66 organisations benefiting from Batch Three, with a $577,000 grant to bring a dynamic program of accessible and immersive music and arts events to Brisbane over winter this year, creating more than 460 employment opportunities.”
The investment into these leading organisations being announced today brings to a cumulative $100 million the Government has committed through the RISE Fund to date. This funding has created over 89,000 job opportunities and expanded cultural and creative experiences for audiences across Australia.
One of the largest grant recipients is Moulin Rouge! The Musical, which will receive $1.1 million to adapt Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Australian film to a stage show, creating more than 100 jobs for an all-Australian cast and crew.
Australia’s premier music festival Splendour will receive $1 million towards its 2021 festival in NSW, creating more than 1,300 employment opportunities.
The Pangaea Festival will receive more than $200,000 to deliver an inter-generational immersive cultural event highlighting local, national, indigenous and international music artists, performances, circus and visual art. The Festival will take place over three days on Tasmania’s east coast in the summer of 2022, creating more than 200 job opportunities.
Western Australia’s Barking Gecko Theatre will also receive $570,000 to develop professional artists in regional and remote communities, create new ensembles in new locations, and to complete artistic work in repertoire ready for touring from 2023.
Muso – The Rise of The Pub Gig will receive more than $220,000 to revitalise the live music sector, working with over 100 venues Australia-wide to put on more than 500 local gigs for metro and regional communities. The project will create more than 1,300 job opportunities across Victoria, Tasmania, NSW, Queensland, SA and WA.
In March 2020, the Morrison Government announced the RISE program would receive an extra $125 million to support around 230 projects, building on an original commitment of $75 million. In November 2020, the Morrison Government committed more than $60 million in the first batch of the RISE Fund, and in March 2021, $15 million under Batch Two of the Fund.
