Support Act welcomes new Federal Government funding for COVID services

The Board and staff of arts charity Support Act have welcome the additional $10 million in funding support announced by Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Federal Minister for Communications and the Arts, Paul Fletcher yesterday.

Support Act Chief Executive, Clive Miller advised “Support Act is very pleased that the Australian Government has recognised the special challenges live entertainment workers will continue to face over the next six months as JobKeeper ends but restrictions on standing capacity in venues and border uncertainties remain.

“While RISE grants will eventually provide relief to many, Support Act recognises that such funds are unlikely to reach those worst affected by the end of JobKeeper before mid-year.”

The additional funding provided by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts will enable Support Act to extend its crisis relief grants to all genres of artists, crew and music workers in need over the next few critical months.

While Support Act acknowledges that these modest ‘MusicKeeper’ and ‘CrewKeeper’ grants of $2,000 ($2,700 for families) will not replace JobKeeper, they are intended to cushion the blow for those who remain largely unable to earn income due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions designed to protect public health.

It will also enable the organisation to continue to deliver life saving mental health and wellbeing programs such as the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, Manager Support Hotline, First Nations Dedicated Helpline, Mental Health First Aid Training, Workplace Wellness Check Ins, Tune Ups mental health content series, On My Mind open access webinars and more.

Miller added “the support of the Federal Government through the Office of the Arts has made a huge difference to thousands of music worker’s lives over the past 12 months. “Support Act would like to acknowledge and thank the Treasurer and the Communications and Arts Minister for providing this much needed lifeline to get music workers through the next two quarters, by which time we hope everyone will be back to doing what they love, which is making live music.”

Click here for more information on COVID MusicKeeper and CrewKeeper Crisis Relief Grants.