Ruby Awards

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (12:50): I move:

That this house—

(a) acknowledges the important cultural, social and economic contribution of the South Australian arts and cultural sector to our state;

(b) recognises the importance of the Ruby Awards in honouring the best of South Australia’s arts and cultural sector—recognising artistic excellence, creative achievement, innovation, community involvement and inspirational leadership; and

(c) congratulates the winners of the 2022 Ruby Awards.

Art has the power to transform, to illuminate, to educate and to motivate. It has the power to connect us and create stronger, more inclusive communities. As Japanese writer and Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda put it, 'The power of art can break the shackles that bind and divide human beings.'

In many ways, this is what art did during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine the lockdowns and periods of isolation without art—without painting, reading, watching film and television, or listening to music. It allowed us to travel to different places and to different worlds while staying in the same place. I know we are so incredibly grateful to break the shackles of the pandemic and once again come together to celebrate art in person, and step back and acknowledge the sector's contribution to the cultural, social and economic wellbeing of our state.

One such event that does exactly that is the Ruby Awards, which honour the outstanding work of South Australia's arts and culture sector. The awards are named after late arts patron Dame Ruby Litchfield and recognise artistic excellence, creative achievement, innovation, community involvement and inspirational leadership. The 2022 Ruby Awards were announced at an invitation-only event on 25 November attended by the Premier and the arts minister.

I want to recognise one particular award in regard to an outstanding artistic or cultural event or project that had a significant impact on our community in South Australia. I am incredibly proud to say that the winner of this important community award was from my electorate; it was awarded to Uniting Communities and Guildhouse for its U City art project, 'The Encounter of Strangers'.

This multifaceted project was led by U City's Artist in Residence Claire Wildish in an open studio format, providing various workshops that allowed participants to explore their own creative projects and be mentored by professional artists, as well as get involved with exhibitions and community arts projects. This year's workshops included weaving, felting, jewellery, mosaics, mask making, lino and acrylics. As Claire put it herself:

Through art people are finding connection, friendship and even new purpose in their life. From learning to catch the bus for the first time just so they can go to art each week to finding their voice through poetry, pottery and paint. This is who we are…supporting and growing a safe, creative place for strangers to meet, connect, make and create.

To quote one of the participants of the U City workshops:

You always let us be completely ourselves no matter what that looks like—the messy, the ugly and the beautiful. You have always created such a safe space for us, and I know that for myself and others this was the first safe space we have experienced. That is something that I get to treasure forever.

Congratulations to Claire, to Uniting Communities and to Guildhouse on the incredible positive impact you have had on the U City community on Franklin Street. It is another feather in the cap for U City, which has become such an incredibly vibrant, inclusive and thriving vertical community. I also have to note that it has amazing Italian food at Luigi's Delicatessen.

In closing, I would also like to acknowledge the short-listed nominees for this Ruby Award category: the Adelaide Youth Orchestra for Verdi Requiem and Writers SA for the Deaf Writers Project. All the Ruby Award winners and nominees should be so incredibly proud of what they have achieved. Through art you really are making the world a better place.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (12:54): I am very pleased to be able to speak in support of the motion before us, and I congratulate all the winners and nominees from the Ruby Awards. I was absolutely very sorry that I could not be there on Friday night—we had a very unwell two year old at home. Nothing short of that would have restrained me from coming along. I was very much looking forward to being there and celebrating the achievements of those artists, those South Australian companies small and large and, indeed, so many in the cultural sector who were honoured on Friday night.

This is, of course, a sector that did it very tough during COVID. Indeed, the whole community that benefits from the work of the artistic and creative sector in South Australia and around the world was denied the opportunity for so many periods during COVID in 2020 and 2021 to experience live performance. It was very disappointing. In South Australia, the restrictions on performances and on interaction were less than in a number of other jurisdictions.

I know in particular that the support provided to artists under the stewardship of former Premier and arts minister, Steven Marshall, was generous compared with that in other jurisdictions. It was nonetheless a very difficult time for many people in this sector, and that is to be acknowledged. Being able to come together to enjoy and to celebrate the opportunities and to appreciate, experience and participate in art and perform is absolutely wonderful.

The motion also talks more broadly about the social, cultural and economic contribution of the South Australian arts and cultural sector, and that is an important part of the motion too. Sometimes the perception of government investment in the arts is limited to only the economic impact that investment can realise. It is not just related to the arts group, but anyone who is pitching to government for the use of public funds for what they believe in will always talk about the economic impact. Sometimes you have the ratio presented of what sort of economic impact and investment by government will unlock. Invariably, Treasury will provide advice back to cabinet that this economic activity may well happen without government investment or it may not.

My view is very strongly that arts investments often realise in excess of what is anticipated, even by a highly paid consultant who might produce a report. Arts investments, especially if they are wise investments and investments strategically placed, will often encourage cultural tourists to come to South Australia—cultural tourists who are more likely to spend extra nights visiting South Australia exploring other aspects of our cultural heritage, our performances and festivals, and other parts of what South Australia has to offer. So, for its economic contribution, the arts cannot be undervalued.

When I was the education minister, I very strongly believed that the cultural and educational opportunities that are unlocked by government investment in the arts are really significant. They expose the next generation to high-quality art both through our elite performance companies and through small and medium companies who travel regularly and perform in schools, work with schools and encourage young people to go along to their performances. It is very special.

The Minister for Education and the Minister for Arts and I were all at Patch Theatre's 50^th anniversary birthday function very recently. It is a perfect example of a company that inspires our littlest learners to be interested and engaged in the arts. There are so many other great new theatre companies and great examples of young people achieving their best by being introduced to the arts, loving the arts and also having their broader minds opened to the possibilities and their capacity in other subjects enhanced by their engagement in the arts. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. A. MICHAELS (Enfield—Minister for Small and Family Business, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs, Minister for Arts) (12:59): In the last 60 seconds that I have I want to say how fantastic it was on Friday night at the Ruby Awards. It was a genuine privilege to be there, to give the opening address and to acknowledge all the fantastic winners of various awards.

The two I really want to touch on in the last few seconds are the recipients of the Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement. Both were posthumous award winners: Bob Jesser, who did fantastic work behind the scenes in technical production at the Festival Centre and also for many years at the Odeon Theatre; and Hossein Valamanesh, who passed away earlier this year, was a great visual artist, sculptor and public artist. They made a fantastic contribution to the arts world. I want to acknowledge them both and say how sad it is that we lost them this year.

Motion carried.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.