Live Performance Australia slams NSW Government’s lack of support for cultural sector in crisis during Coronavirus crisis

In the wake of yesterday’s announcement that Sydney’s Carriageworks is entering administration, Live Performance Australia has accused the NSW Government of being “missing in action” for the cultural sector during the Coronavirus crisis.

Advising that the NSW Government needs to take urgent action to stop the destruction of the state’s cultural sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Live Performance Australia (LPA) Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson today advised “our largest state has been missing in action so far in the battle to protect our cultural sector from the devastation being wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The distressing announcement that Australia’s largest multi-arts centre, Carriageworks, has been placed in voluntary administration is terrible news for the artists and performers who have been supported by its leadership role in Australia’s cultural life.

“(NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian needs to step up both as leader of NSW and as the Minister responsible for the arts to help Carriageworks continue in its role as one of our leading cultural venues.

“When cultural ministers from all of our state and territory governments met in late March, we set out very clearly for them the potential devastation of our cultural sector because of COVID-19’s impact on venues and cultural spaces.*

“Some of our state governments have put in place targeted measures to support our cultural industries, but the response so far from both NSW and the Commonwealth has been woeful.

“Sadly, the announcement that Carriageworks is in voluntary administration is likely to be the first of many as our performing arts companies grapple with the severe financial impact of COVID-19 on their revenues.

“Our world-class cultural industry was the first to be shutdown by COVID-19 and will be one of the last to recover, although for all the talk from the Federal Government of helping people across the bridge to the other side of the pandemic, we see precious little evidence of that support for our cultural sector.”

Noting that the plight of Carriageworks highlighted the very significant danger to performing arts centres and cultural venues around the country, Richardson added “our people, our companies, and our physical venues and cultural spaces are all under threat.

"These venues are major employers and contributors to our economic and social well being. Our governments have a responsibility to protect our cultural assets and must step forward to save and support them as a matter of urgency.”

Image: Sydney's Carriageworks (top, Alamy Stock Photo) and the 2019 Sydney Contemporary at the Carriageworks (below, courtesy of Carriageworks/Zan Wimberley).