Live Performance Australia sets out election policy priorities

Live Performance Australia (LPA) has called on Australia’s political parties to commit their support for a strong and growing live performance industry.

LPA has released its 2016 Federal Election Policy Priorities which have a strong focus on supporting sustainability and promoting growth of the $2.5 billion live performance industry which employs 34,000 Australians.

Introducing the priorities, LPA President Andrew Kay explained “Australia’s live performance industry supports jobs, contributes to economic growth and drives innovation.

“Governments need to put in place policies that will support the long term growth and sustainability of the industry so that creative and talented Australians can share their work with audiences in capital cities and country towns, as well as build our international reputation through overseas touring.”

LPA’s policy priorities include:

Industry sustainability 
• Return the funding cut of $72.8 million over four years to the Australia Council to provide long term stability for small to medium companies; 
• Maintain and improve transparency of the Catalyst program; 

Stimulate investment 
• Provide tax incentives on pre-production costs for live productions; 
• Establish a major seed fund for original Australian works of scale; 

Government leadership for creative industries 
• Develop a Creative Industries Strategic Plan; 
• Create a cross-cutting 21st century government agency for the creative industries; 
• Incorporate arts in the government’s innovation and STEM agenda; 
• Renew funding of the Live Music Office to foster audience development and drive regulatory reform; 

Regional and rural Australia 
• Increase the level of funding and expand the eligibility criteria of Playing Australia; 
• Double the number of organisations with National Touring Status; 
• Introduce a funding mechanism to assist commercial producers to undertake tours throughout regional Australia; 
• Provide support for trialling digital incentives for presenting live productions; 

Raise our industry’s global profile 
• Increase investment in international touring of Australian productions; 
• Continue to fund Sounds Australia to advance Australia’s live music exports; 

Build knowledge and data about creative industries 
• Enable the ABS to regularly collect data about the creative industries; and 
• Establish and collect economic and social metrics for the creative industries. 

LPA has costed these policy commitments at $128 million over four years. 

LPA Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson added “given the economic and social contribution made by the live performance industry, this represents a relatively modest investment that would provide greater strategic direction and certainty for our industry.”

LPA is the peak body for Australia’s live performance industry. Established in 1917 and registered as an employers’ organisation under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009, LPA has over 400 Members nationally.

A copy of LPA’s policy priorities and detailed description of the measures is available at www.liveperformance.com.au 

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