Statement from the Minister for the Arts, COVID-19 support

Minister for Environment and the Great Barrier Reef, Minister for Science and Minister for the Arts, The Honourable Leeanne Enoch

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Queensland Government to assist arts sector through COVID-19 crisis

Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch has today announced support for Queensland’s Arts sector workforce, to help mitigate the impact of coronavirus.

Minister Enoch said the measures recognised the wide-reaching impacts of current restrictions on mass gatherings, and the flow-on effect that will have on the ability of arts sector employees to work.

The Palaszczuk Government will support small to medium Arts organisations through funding extensions, changes to funding application timeframes and rent relief for tenants based in Queensland Government Arts infrastructure.

"To provide certainty for the sector, companies that are current recipients of the 2017-2020 Organisations Fund, will be guaranteed a further twelve months’ funding at current levels to December 2021. And in addition, Arts Queensland is also suspending applications for the next four-year funding round, in order to take pressure off organisations to do long-term planning.” Ms Enoch said.

“Arts Queensland will also waive rental payments for tenants based in Queensland Government Arts facilities through to December 2020.

“This is over $8 million in funding relief measures, which will help many small-to-medium arts organisations pay their bills and keep people employed during the current health crisis,” Ms Enoch said.

“The government is also working to find ways to support individual arts workers through existing programs.

“In the coming weeks I will make further announcements about a rapid response that supports workers with creative development and digital delivery.

Minister Enoch said the sustainability of Queensland’s arts and cultural sector and the continued employment of artists and arts workers is a priority for the government.

“More than 80,000 Queenslanders work in the creative sector, and many of them support themselves gig-to-gig,” Ms Enoch said.

Minister Enoch said she was also looking forward to seeing the outcomes of discussions with the Federal Arts Minister, and other state and territory Arts Ministers.

“It’s important that the Federal Government hears these concerns from the Arts sector.

“We will continue to work with the sector to support organisations and arts workers to emerge from this public health crisis with strength and confidence,” Ms Enoch said.

ENDS