For the second time in four months the Byron Bay mega-event has been rescheduled. It means the festival will have not been staged in both 2020 and 2021.
Renewed calls for federal protection for live performance industry theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The festival has announced a “pause” on shows for the coming week.
The arts are again confronted with the total loss of ticket revenue, just as the sector was tentatively recovering. It is another terrible setback for a bruised industry.
Lockdowns and border closures in 2021 have already forced shows to cancel at the Sydney, Adelaide and Perth festivals, while Byron Bay Bluesfest was cancelled at the last minute. Reacting to the developing situation in Melbourne, Tasmania’s Dark Mofo scheduled for June has delayed ticket sales.
We need to do better in putting a floor under losses for the live-performance industry.
Budget 2021: AAP receives funding boost, regional in focus and ACMA gains additional support
May 12, 2021 10:13
The Federal Government handed down the 2021 budget overnight, with several areas of the media, tech and regulatory sectors to receive funding boosts.
A joint release by Minister Paul Fletcher and Minister Mark Coulton recognised that the pandemic had created ongoing challenges for the arts sector, and also outlined the importance of digital service delivery for the economy going forward.
Josh Frydenberg hands down the 2021 Budget / Twitter
Regional was a significant theme, both in terms of funding journalism in regional areas and ensuring regional connectivity, with the government committing a further $84.4 million to its Regional Connectivity Program, which will go towards 81 telecommunications infrastructure projects.
The arts were in free fall this time last year. COVID-19 restrictions had shut everything down and artists and arts organisations were reeling from a dramatic loss of income, as well as the prospect of a bleak future. Somewhat belatedly, the federal government offered various forms of assistance from late June onwards.
Given the continuing challenges, has the government brought the arts in from the cold in Tuesday‘s budget? The budget statement notes the effects of the pandemic on the creative and cultural sector “have been severe” and the sector “continues to feel the effects of COVID‑19 as social restrictions are eased.”