LPA designs AU$345m live business recovery plan

Industry body Live Performance Australia (LPA) has designed a live business rebuild and recovery, outlining the financial aid needed from the Australian government to get live back up and running.

The LPA is asking for an AU$345 million (€213m) recovery package, including $170m (€105m) of capital investment to help restart tours, support live industry workers and support regional venues; $30m (€18.5m) for funds focused on innovation; $70m (€43.3m) for the Australia Council for the Arts; and $75m (€46.4m) for consumer-focused campaigns.

As well as urging a six-month extension for the Australian JobKeeper scheme, currently set to expire in September, the two-year recovery plan also includes longer-term initiatives including tax incentives for pre-production costs and live music venues; an arts and entertainment loan scheme; the waiving of visa fees for international performers; and a contingency fund to support events which may be impacted by future restrictions due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

To offset a potential weakening of consumer confidence, LPA proposes a $55m (€34) ‘See It Live’ e-voucher scheme to encourage Australians to attend live events.

“Unlike some other parts of the economy, a gradual re-opening process is not commercially viable for most of our industry”

Although individual states have dedicated resources to aiding live’s recovery, such as Victoria’s $150m (€92.7m) experience economy aid package and $50m (€30.9m) arts and culture funding in New South Wales, the national government has yet to offer sector-specific support.

Now in the twelfth week of widespread event shutdowns, and with strict capacity limits in place where venues are allowed to reopen, LPA says the government must do more to support the live entertainment industry.

“Unlike some other parts of the economy, a gradual re-opening process is not commercially viable for most of our industry,” says LPA chief executive, Evelyn Richardson. “We can’t re-open venues that only have dozens in the audience. That’s why we will need a sustained and strategic investment by government to get our industry up and running again.”

LPA is aiming for venues to reopen fully by September, a timeframe believed to be “achievable” given the progress made by neighbouring New Zealand, which is gearing up to restart events without social distancing int he next week.

“Our $4 billion dollar industry will be a major driver of economic activity, jobs and cultural tourism recovery. Our number one priority is getting our venues open and our people back to work. We look forward to working closely with governments at all levels to make this happen in the coming months.”

Full details of the package are available on the LPA website.

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