The NSW Government needs to take urgent action to stop the destruction of the state’s cultural sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our largest state has been missing in action so far in the battle to protect our cultural sector from the devastation being wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Evelyn Richardson, Chief Executive of Live Performance Australia.
“The distressing announcement that Australia’s largest multi-arts centre, Carriageworks, has been placed in voluntary administration is terrible news for the artists and performers who have been supported by its leadership role in Australia’s cultural life,” Ms Richardson said.
“Premier Gladys Berejiklian needs to step up both as leader of NSW and as the Minister responsible for the arts to help Carriageworks continue in its role as one of our leading cultural venues,” Ms Richardson said.
“When cultural ministers from all of our state and territory governments met in late March, we set out very clearly for them the potential devastation of our cultural sector because of COVID-19’s impact on venues and cultural spaces.*
“Some of our state governments have put in place targeted measures to support our cultural industries, but the response so far from both NSW and the Commonwealth has been woeful.
“Sadly, the announcement that Carriageworks is in voluntary administration is likely to be the first of many as our performing arts companies grapple with the severe financial impact of COVID-19 on their revenues.
“Our world-class cultural industry was the first to be shutdown by COVID-19 and will be one of the last to recover, although for all the talk from the Federal Government of helping people across the bridge to the other side of the pandemic, we see precious little evidence of that support for our cultural sector,” Ms Richardson said,
Ms Richardson said the plight of Carriageworks highlighted the very significant danger to performing arts centres and cultural venues around the country.
“Our people, our companies, and our physical venues and cultural spaces are all under threat. These venues are major employers and contributors to our economic and social well being. Our governments have a responsibility to protect our cultural assets and must step forward to save and support them as a matter of urgency,” Ms Richardson said.
* Media release – 19 March 2020 – Critical moment for cultural ministers to step up
