Greens Leader Adam Bandt has joined Arts spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young at the Comedy Republic in Melbourne to back live arts with a pledge to 

Amidst devastating floods over east and growing calls for climate action, the Greens are urging Perth Festival, WA Youth Orchestra, and WA Symphony Orchestra to end their sponsorships with Woodside and Chevron and for the WA State Government to provide supplementary funding while new sponsors are secured. 

The Greens have slammed the Treasurer for forgetting the Arts and Entertainment Industry in the Federal Budget, an oversight that will cost more jobs and make recovery even harder.  

Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“The Arts and Entertainment Industry was one of the first to be hit by social distancing restrictions, it has suffered enormously throughout the lockdown and will be one of the last to recover.

The Senate has today called on the Morrison Government to require tech giants like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Stan to back and fund Australian-made stories.

Greens Spokesperson for Arts and Communications Senator Sarah Hanson-Young who moved the motion that was supported by the Senate, said:

”If the streaming giants want to continue to participate in the Australian market and stream into Australian lounge rooms they should support, promote and fund Australian-made stories, films and shows.

The foreshadowing of a package for the arts and entertainment industry by the PM is welcome, but the devil will be in the detail, the Greens say.

Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the arts and entertainment industry has been pleading for Government intervention for months.

“The Prime Minister likes his sport, I hope today's reports are a sign he’s starting to recognise the arts and entertainment sector is important too. But the devil will be in the detail," Senator Hanson-Young said.

The Greens are calling on Treasurer Frydenberg to stop being Team ‘Some’ Australians, and immediately expand the JobKeeper program to businesses and workers in the arts and entertainment industry who have been left out.

“For months now the Government has refused to include the hundred of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs in the arts and entertainment industry in their JobKeeper package. They said they didn’t have the money,” Greens Arts and Media Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.

The Greens will today launch their proposal for an economic stimulus package targeted at engaging the hundreds of thousands of artists and creatives who have lost their jobs during Covid-19, and the thousands more workers who have lost their jobs due to the flow on impact on hospitality and tourism.

Greens Spokesperson for Media and Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to the Morrison Government’s announcement on Australian media today:

“This announcement is another blow to the arts and entertainment industry.

“The Morrison Government must urgently put a rescue package on the table including money for an Australian Content Fund and local content requirements for streaming services.

The big streaming companies should play their part in helping fund Australia’s cultural recovery, the Greens say. The Party is also calling on the Australian Government to commit to an Australian Content Fund.

“The bigwigs of video streaming like Netflix, Stan and Amazon should be regulated to support Australian made stories and entertainment, Greens Arts & Media spokesperson Senator Hanson-Young said today.

The half a billion dollars for the Captain Cook celebrations and expansion of the Australian War Memorial should be redirected to arts and culture projects that will benefit Australians now out of work because of COVID-19, the Greens say. 

Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said: