Decision Maker: Council
Decision status: Recommendations Determined
Minute by the Lord Mayor
To
Council:
The
essential measures to stop the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus and protect
public health have taken a terrible toll on national cultural life. Theatres,
cinemas and other live entertainment venues along with galleries and museums
are now closed and it is uncertain when it will financially viable for them to
reopen.
A letter
to the Prime Minister signed by over 100 arts and cultural organisations
highlighted the devastating impact this has had: “Work that has taken years to
develop has been lost. Livelihoods are jeopardised. Our venues and other
programs have been closed down by government order. As each day passes, the
likelihood of reopening or restarting diminishes. The scale of loss across the
cultural and creative sector is unprecedented – and devastating, culturally and
economically.”
While the
framework for easing restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on 8 May 2020
allows theatres to reopen and eventually gatherings of 100 people, physical
distancing requirements means this will have little practical effect. Most live
performances will not be financially viable and many theatres, concert halls
and other live entertainment venues will remain closed. Significantly, while
the Safe Work Australia website which provides industry specific Covid-19
workplace advice has none for the arts and live entertainment industries.
These
restrictions have had a similarly devastating impact on arts workers. As of 10
April 2020, the ‘I lost my gig’ website recorded lost earnings of $330 million
by musicians, performers, and others with live music related jobs. The closure
of bars, restaurants and cafes at the same time denied them traditional
alternative sources of employment. These two sectors were the hardest hit. Between
14 March and 18 April, 33.4 per cent of jobs were lost in accommodation and
food services and 27 per cent arts and recreation.
On 5 May
2020, while outlining job losses across the Australian economy, the Prime
Minister revealed that the hospitality sector had lost 441,000 jobs followed by
a loss of 180,000 arts and recreation jobs. This was the first and only time
the Prime Minister had uttered the word “arts” since the restrictions were
first imposed in March.
These
official figures may not reveal the full extent of the impact. The Grattan
Institute estimates that creative and performing arts activities employment is
expected to drop by 75 per cent. Yet because of their particular employment
arrangements, many cultural workers are not eligible for the Commonwealth
Government’s JobKeeper program. Suggestions that they
should apply for the less financially beneficial JobSeeker
program sends a message that their work does not have the same value as other
Australians.
It is an appalling message, given their
significant contribution to the Australian economy. Research by the Bureau of
Communications and Arts in 2018 found cultural and creative activity in
Australia contributed $111.7 billion in 2016-17 across the economy,
constituting 6.4 per cent of GDP. Of this cultural activity contributed $63.5
billion or 57 per cent of total creative and cultural activity. In the same
period, the arts, screen and culture sector contributed $16.4 billion to the
NSW economy, and employed the equivalent of approximately 118,000 full time
workers. Every dollar spent on arts, screen and culture generated a return of
$1.88 to the NSW economy.
This
economic impact is only possible because of the money we are willing to spend.
We spend
money on the arts, culture and creative output because they delight us, provoke
us and help us make sense of our lives. We cannot do without them. The arts
advocate Robyn Archer challenges us to imagine spending a day without
encountering the work of artists, designers or other creative people. On such a
day you would not hear any music or see any visual image. You couldn’t use any
appliance, wear any clothes, eat from a plate or drink from a cup, because
these are also the products of someone’s creativity.
Despite
this, the Commonwealth Government has all but ignored the impacts of Covid-19
on Australia’s cultural and creative sector, and not only in the design of the JobKeeper program. Despite the sector presenting a strong
case for significant targeted support, the Federal Government has provided only
$27 million.
This failure may be variously explained by callous
indifference, wilful ignorance or a continuation of the unseemly ideological
culture wars prosecuted by the Coalition
Government
since its election in 2013. Its first budget in 2014 slashed arts funding by
$87.1 million over four years. Australia Council funding has since declined by
nearly 20 per cent with three-fifths of this funding quarantined for the major
flagship companies leaving little for individual artists and the small to
medium sector, the seed-beds of our culture.
These
seed-beds ensure a strong, vital creative sector, by enabling artists and
performers to experiment and take risks, nurture their talent and eventually
renew our major cultural institutions. They are the future sources of our
national pride. We all like to applaud the band that started out in a
provincial city that went to win an international recording contract and play
Radio City Music in New York, the performer who started out performing in a tiny
hotel cellar and went on to an international career and a Tony Award nomination
or the actor who was first noticed by audiences in a small Darlinghurst theatre
and went on to win two Oscars. If we let our creatives slip through the cracks
and we fail to support our iconic institutions we may have little to celebrate
in the future.
The
Government must not only repair the significant damage already done, it must
publicly acknowledge the need for doing so. The Australian arts community is
calling on the Prime Minister to publicly recognise the value of the cultural
and creative sector to all Australians, and affirm his commitment to the people
and organisations that inspire us.
I support this call and hope it would have the strong
support of the business community, civic and community leaders and state and
local governments. I hope the challenges facing the cultural and creative
community pre-Covid-19 and post-Covid-19 would also be acknowledged: the
critical shortage of accessible and affordable creative space and cultural
infrastructure; ensuring opportunities for young and emerging artists, and
maintaining support for our flagship cultural institutions. The current crisis
facing Carriageworks should sound a warning.
Reopening
live performance venues will present immediate challenges. Audiences may not
return quickly, or economic reasons or because of a fear of being infected.
South Korea, where large theatres are now open, may provide a way forward with
rigorous prevention measures. Cast members are regularly tested and audience
members are temperature checked and required to wear face masks.
Our cultural and creative sectors will need our support if
is to confidently survive, recover and renew. Not only targeted financial
support, but the recognition and acknowledgement that their survival, recovery
and renewal is vital for all of us.
Recommendation
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council note that:
(i)
while essential to protect public health and prevent transmission
of the SARSCoV-2 virus, the Covid-19 physical distancing measures have had a devastating
impact on our national cultural life and the livelihoods and wellbeing of
Australians working in the creative sectors;
(ii)
the cultural and creative sectors make a significant contribution
to the Australian economy, our national wellbeing and our daily lives; and
(iii)
the cultural and creative sectors will face significant challenges
post-Covid-19, many of which existed pre-Covid-19, including addressing the
critical shortage of accessible and affordable creative space and cultural
infrastructure, ensuring opportunities continue for young and emerging artists,
maintaining support for our flagship cultural institutions; and the immediate
challenges when live performance venues reopen; and
(B)
the Lord Mayor be requested to write to the Prime Minister to request:
(i)
the Commonwealth Government:
(a)
provides a substantial targeted package to enable the creative and
cultural sectors to survive and recover from the impacts of Covid-19; and
(b)
expands the JobKeeper program to include
workers currently excluded from the program, including casuals, visa holders
and creative and cultural workers; and
(ii)
the Prime Minister publicly recognise and acknowledge the value of
the cultural and creative sector to all Australians, and affirm his commitment
to the people and organisations that inspire us.
COUNCILLOR CLOVER
MOORE
Lord Mayor
Moved by the Chair (the Lord Mayor), seconded by Councillor Scully
–
That the Minute by the Lord Mayor be endorsed and adopted.
Variation. At the request of Councillor Scott, and by consent, the
Minute was varied such that it include additional words in clause (B)
requesting that the Lord Mayor also write to the Leader of the Opposition.
Amendment. Moved by Councillor Phelps, seconded by Councillor
Vithoulkas –
That the motion be amended such that it include an additional
clause (C) as follows –
(C)
the Chief Executive Officer be requested to
investigate how the City of Sydney can help the cultural sector to develop new
business models and revenue streams by pivoting their work for online audiences
during the Covid-19 pandemic, including:
(i)
developing digital skills;
(ii)
providing a network of digital specialists,
on-hand to provide support and training for the arts and cultural sector, as
pioneered by Arts Council England in their Covid-19 response program;
(iii)
finding new ways to reach and engage audiences;
and
(iv)
report findings back to
Council.
The amendment was lost on the following show of hands:
Ayes (4) Councillors Forster, Phelps, Scott and
Vithoulkas
Noes
(6) The
Chair (the Lord Mayor), Councillors Chung, Kok, Miller, Scully and Thalis.
Amendment lost.
Variation.
At the request of Councillor Miller, and by consent, the Minute was varied such
that it include an additional clause (C) as follows –
(C)
for as long as
performance spaces remain closed, enable and encourage arts organisations to
engage with the community via performances in outdoor public spaces where
physical distancing is possible, like for example, Sydney Town Hall steps, City
of Sydney-owned Rotundas and in our public parks.
Variation. At the request of Councillor Forster, and
by consent, the Minute was varied to include an additional clause (D) as
follows –
(D)
the Lord
Mayor be requested to write to the NSW Premier
and Acting Minister for the Arts Gladys Berejiklian
requesting an urgent review of current funding arrangements for the state's
arts and cultural sector with a view to providing appropriate support to ensure
the long-term sustainability of organisations severely affected by Covid-19
related shutdowns.
The minute, as
varied by consent, was carried unanimously.
S051491
Report author: Erin Cashman
Publication date: 18/05/2020
Date of decision: 18/05/2020
Decided at meeting: 18/05/2020 - Council
Accompanying Documents: