Queensland Government to assist arts sector through COVID-19 crisis
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch has announced support for Queensland’s Arts sector workforce, to help mitigate the impact of coronavirus.

Minister Enoch said the measures recognised the wide-reaching impacts
of current restrictions on mass gatherings, and the flow-on effect that
will have on the ability of arts sector employees to work.
The
Palaszczuk Government will support small to medium Arts organisations
through funding extensions, changes to funding application timeframes
and rent relief for tenants based in Queensland Government Arts
infrastructure.
"To provide certainty
for the sector, companies that are current recipients of the 2017-2020
Organisations Fund, will be guaranteed a further twelve months’ funding
at current levels to December 2021. And in addition, Arts Queensland is
also suspending applications for the next four-year funding round, in
order to take pressure off organisations to do long-term planning.” Ms
Enoch said.
“Arts Queensland will also waive rental payments
for tenants based in Queensland Government Arts facilities through to
December 2020.
“This is over $8 million in funding relief
measures, which will help many small-to-medium arts organisations pay
their bills and keep people employed during the current health crisis,”
Ms Enoch said.
“The government is also working to find ways to support individual arts workers through existing programs.
“In the coming weeks I will make further announcements about a rapid
response that supports workers with creative development and digital
delivery.
Minister Enoch said the sustainability of
Queensland’s arts and cultural sector and the continued employment of
artists and arts workers is a priority for the government.
“More than 80,000 Queenslanders work in the creative sector, and many of them support themselves gig-to-gig,” Ms Enoch said.
Minister Enoch said she was also looking forward to seeing the outcomes
of discussions with the Federal Arts Minister, and other state and
territory Arts Ministers.
“It’s important that the Federal Government hears these concerns from the Arts sector.
“We
will continue to work with the sector to support organisations and arts
workers to emerge from this public health crisis with strength and
confidence,” Ms Enoch said.