Coronavirus

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (15:09): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is assisting creative industries in response to COVID-19?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (15:09): I thank the member for Flinders for his question and his support for the creative industries here in South Australia, one of the fastest growing industries around the world and here in South Australia up until the COVID-19. It was one of the biggest hit industries in Australia; 53 per cent of businesses operating in creative industries have stopped operating or are in hibernation since COVID-19, so live performances, festivals and events have been cancelled, venues closed and screen production put on hold.

The Marshall/Morrison governments are working together to support small business and to save jobs. The federal measures include, for example, the JobKeeper, $1,500 per fortnight, which will assist many sole traders in the creative industries. Of course, adjustments to the Newstart program, to be rebadged as the JobSeeker program, enable people who are operating a business but aren't earning income from those businesses to also apply for that JobSeeker payment. The Premier and I have hosted several round tables with the creative industries and they will continue so that we can understand the impacts of COVID-19 on the industry and options for support as we move through the recovery stages.

The Marshall government has put together measures to support small business in general. As the Minister for Transport spoke about earlier, there are payroll tax waivers and deferrals for 2,400 businesses in South Australia, land tax relief, JobKeeper will be exempt from payroll tax calculations, and there is a waiver of liquor licensing fees, very important for the creative industries sector, particularly the music sector. There are many hotels. As a matter of fact, members of the Hotels Association are the biggest supporters and employers of musicians in the state, and I thank them for that. And, of course, there are emergency cash grants of $10,000 for small business. Many creative industry businesses will benefit from these measures.

The specific initiatives include Arts Organisations Collaboration Grants of up to $100,000 to achieve employment outcomes and create and develop work to engage audiences; the Innovating Practice grants, $5,000 to $10,000 for the purchase and hire or upgrade of technology and equipment; and the Creative Endeavour grants, $5,000 to $10,000 to undertake professional development or creative practice.

To further support the music industry, the Music Development Office has repurposed $200,000 to establish new grants: the Creative Development Support Grants of $5,000 for developing or releasing new original music; the Music Business Project Support Grants for up to $20,000 to support managers, promoters and venues for the production and performance of original music; and the Music Industry Initiatives Support Grants, up to $20,000 to support individuals or organisations with a proposal to support or stimulate the music sector.

In screen, the SA Film Corporation has launched a second round of the Games Innovation Fund of up to $25,000 per application. Other measures include Business Resilience Training, the Targeted Development Grant and the Matched Market Development Grant, and they have teamed up with the Media Resource Centre to develop the Master/Apprentice Program. Creative industries is a sector particularly affected by COVID-19 and we will continue to work with the sector so it can bounce back even stronger.