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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-06-02 Daily Xml
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Music Industry

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:39): My question is to the Minister for Innovation and Skills. Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is supporting jobs in the local music industry through targeted stimulus measures?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (14:39): I thank the member for Newland for his question. Being a piano player himself—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna can leave for the remainder of question time under 137A.

The honourable member for Kaurna having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: —I know that he understands the value of the music industry. As a matter of fact, he earned money as a music teacher to get himself through university, so he can see how it can be an income generator for so many people. We know that since March this year about $7.5 million and 8,000 gigs have been lost in the South Australian economy. The live music industry contributes more than $170 million annually and employs about 2½ thousand South Australians. There are around 1,000 original music acts, whether they be solo artists, bands or duos, registered on the MusicSA artists directory.

We have delivered a $1 million COVID-19 package to support music careers here in South Australia, $700,000 in funding to support the industry and to aid the development of new strategies and initiatives to stimulate the music sector through this difficult period. This includes grants of up to $5,000 for artists and up to $20,000 for music businesses, including music venues. Seventy-three applications were successful, including 35 artists and 23 live music venues, three promoters and three recording studios, two record labels and seven other small music-related businesses.

Forty-two programs have already started to roll out under this grants scheme. Wheaty Live at the Wheatsheaf Hotel has started a program, and there is a streamed Battle of the Bands—very big in the eighties and the seventies when I was a high school student; I used to attend those battles of the bands—at the Arkaba Hotel. We know that the Australian Hotels Association funds 80 per cent of live music performances in South Australia, and it's great to see those hotels benefitting from the live music that they provide for their patrons.

Live music venues are a critical component of the sector, and The Gov plays a unique role in supporting the live music sector here in South Australia and is arguably the state's most iconic live music venue, with a quarter of a century of history. According to The Gov, there were more than 800 performances last year and annually it attracts around 200,000 people. Their 800-person capacity and their international status is instrumental in delivering professional opportunities for our local bands.

The Gov is live music heritage here in South Australia. It is owned by the Tonkin family and it has traditionally hosted a range of performances in a variety of genres six or seven nights a week; that was of course before COVID. The $300,000 assistance package includes a case manager to ensure The Gov is in the best position to come back from the COVID period stronger than before and continue to support the live music industry in South Australia, as it has done since you were a student in shorts at St Joseph's, Mr Speaker, a very, very long time ago.

This $1 million total live music support package is the largest ever injection into the broader live music sector in South Australia's history. The live music industry is a sector particularly affected by COVID-19 and we will continue to work with the sector to support its pathway to recovery. Long live live music in South Australia!

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