Page 3296 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 16 August 2011
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festival. The government also plays an important role in supporting live music in Canberra through the provision of programs and facilities. The ACT arts fund supports artists, musicians and bands to further their careers and provides support to key arts organisations that provide venues, infrastructure and advice.
The ACT festival fund and the events assistance program support a range of community and music festivals, which allows Canberra performers, musicians and bands to showcase their performances. By other funded programs, for example, health promotions, sponsorship and youth interact grants, it provides support to community events.
Dedicated government arts facilities provide venues for community events. These are at Belconnen Arts Centre, Gorman House Arts Centre, the Street Theatre, Ainslie Arts Centre and Tuggeranong Arts Centre. We also provide other venues such as the refurbished Albert Hall and outdoor performance space in Glebe Park and Tuggeranong town centre. Programs of free live music performances in Civic known as “groovin’ in the city” and community celebrations such as New Year’s Eve and party in the park provide opportunities for local talents to showcase their art. Large-scale facilities at EPIC and Bruce stadium provide a range of opportunities to support local musicians and national and international artists alike, including the National Folk Festival.
Regulations controlling the hosting and performance of live music are in place to ensure the safety and amenity of the public, patrons, performers and venue operators. However, such regulations also present barriers and impediments to the music industry. It is important that there is a balance between protecting local amenity and public safety while fostering a vibrant music sector.
The cultural ministers council, of which the government is a member, made contemporary music a priority and established a working group on contemporary music development. The working group developed a document Supporting Australia’s live music industry: suggested principles for best practice, and I note the inquiry has referred to it in this report here.
Concurrent with the inquiry into live community events, the ACT government established the Reduction of Barriers to the Production of Live Music in the ACT Interdirectorate Committee in 2009. As part of its deliberations, the IDC held two targeted forums with the live music industry to seek their views. We also looked at the public submissions that were made to the Assembly inquiry. The live music IDC considered many of the same issues addressed in the inquiry and focused on the issues which it considered were appropriate for government action.
I would like to advise the six actions the government plans to undertake to support live music in the ACT. These strategies will allow the government to make a significant impact on the reduction of barriers to live music and build extensive work undertaken by the standing committee inquiry into live music.
In acknowledgement of the cultural, economic and social importance of live music, we note that live music is central to the lives of many Canberrans and contributes to
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