Federal Government’s JobMaker Package June 2020

Following the $688M HomeBuilder Scheme offering grants to encourage people to build or renovate their homes in order to maintain construction work.

The latest JobMaker packagefor the Arts of $250M, after waiting 3 months, for a sector where 47% of businesses have stopped trading and 68% of businesses have been impacted. According to www.ilostmygig.net.au last updated lost income for the sector  27 April, 2020, was $340M.

• Seed Investment to Reactivate Productions and Tours – $75 million in competitive grant funding in 2020-21 through the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund. This program will provide capital to help production and event businesses to put on new festivals, concerts, tours and events as social distancing restrictions ease, including through innovative operating and digital delivery models. Grants of varying sizes will be available, from $75,000 through to $2 million.
• Show Starter Loans – $90 million in concessional loans to assist creative economy businesses to fund new productions and events that stimulate job creation and economic activity. The loans program will complement the RISE Fund and will be delivered through commercial banks, backed by a 100 per cent Commonwealth guarantee.
• Kick-starting Local Screen Production – $50 million for a Temporary Interruption Fund, to be administered by Screen Australia, that will support local film and television producers to secure finance and start filming again, supporting thousands of jobs in the sector. Filming of new productions has largely been halted as insurers are not providing coverage for COVID-19.
• Supporting Sustainability of Sector-Significant Organisations – $35 million to provide direct financial assistance to support significant Commonwealth-funded arts and culture organisations facing threats to their viability due to COVID-19, which may include organisations in fields including theatre, dance, circus, music and other fields. The Government will partner with the Australia Council to deliver this funding.
• Creative Economy Taskforce – establishment of a ministerial taskforce to partner with the Government and the Australia Council to implement the JobMaker plan for the creative economy.

“We are backing over 600,000 Australians in the cultural and creative sectors whose work contributes $112 billion to our economy. These sectors have been hit hard during the pandemic, and the Government’s investment will play an important role in the nation’s economic recovery,” Minister Fletcher said.

“These measures will support a broad range of jobs from performers, artists and roadies, to front of house staff and many who work behind the scenes, while assisting related parts of the broader economy, such as tourism and hospitality,” Mr Morrison said.

“This package is as much about supporting the tradies who build stage sets or computer specialists who create the latest special effects, as it is about supporting actors and performers in major productions.”

In coming weeks, the guidelines for the grant and loan programs will be released and the members of the Creative Economy Taskforce will be announced.

This plan builds on previously announced measures, including the injection of $100 million per month into the arts through JobKeeper and cashflow support over April and May; $10 million for regional and remote organisations; $7 million to Indigenous Art Centres; $10 million to Support Act to assist with mental health and crisis support; the Australia Council’s $5 million Resilience Fund and flexible management of existing funding agreements with Government.

This package also builds on the Government’s investment of $749 million in the arts and cultural industry in 2019-20 – the largest amount ever provided to the sector. The package is in addition to the support being provided by state and territory governments, totalling more than $170 million.

Read the COVID-19 update from the Australian Government  – as of 25 June 2020, Supporting Australia’s Creative Economy  Download Pdf   

If you need immediate help please contact www.supportact.com.au and their Wellbeing Helpline 

*Just popping this in [as this has caused quite a stir amongst the Arts Sector socials]  www.australianjobs.employment.gov.au ‘s overview description of the Arts and Recreation Industry for the youth of Australia.

Below is one of the most talked about infographics regarding the Arts of 2020, the ‘Theatre Economy infographic V4 – June 2020’   Designed and Illustrated by Martin Smith – of Origin8 Design Limited  www.Origin8Design.com  or  Facebook: Origin8DesignLtd   Twitter:  MartinOrigin8

Martin Smith was delighted to be asked to create this graphic depicting Theatre Economy though please note the original intention was to produce a generic graphic for performance in an enclosed space.