Page 2184 - Week 07 - Thursday, 27 August 2020
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creative sector. We are saddened to hear that Event AV Services has made the decision to stop running Live in Ya Lounge, but the context of what has been happening is that there has been some significant level of support for that event.
Live in Ya Lounge received $15,000 as one of the successful applicants for part of the Where You Are Festival. The Live in Ya Lounge team also benefited from opportunities to work with fellow successful applicants, such as Lakespeare, which streamed Rockspeare, as well as Hands Like Houses, who will appear in the very significant Live in Ya Lounge local event this Saturday night. I encourage people to be part of it.
In addition, Venues Canberra entered into a venue hire agreement with Event AV Services, EAVS, the founders of Live in Ya Lounge, for the operation of a virtual event space. That agreement includes EAVS receiving all revenue from the ticket sales—the ticket price of $27.46—from any of the ticketed events. There was also an agreement that the EAVS would not be billed from 2 May through to 17 May to help with the start-up costs. Effectively, from 18 May EAVS were receiving discounts of $500 per event or 20 per cent of gross revenue, whichever was the greater. Ordinarily the government grant pay rate is $900 per event, so this is a significant increase.
EAVS has also been given permission to keep their equipment set up in the venue since 29 April without any charge for non-event days, rehearsals or sound checks. All of the chairs, tables and lounges are supplied free of charge by EPIC and Venues ACT. In addition, EAVS were charged no venue hire for the launch of the Rise Up Festival. They are required to pay operational costs such as for electricity, site wardens and wi-fi.
EAVS signed this agreement on 2 May, with a review on 18 May in accordance with the agreement. The agreement ended on 31 July and is now on a week-to-week arrangement. To date, EAVS has not sought any amendments or raised any concerns with Venues Canberra in regard to the agreement.
To again make sure that people are aware of the context, to date, the total waived or revenue that has been available as part of the government’s support has been $78,000. The Where You Are Festival has a fixed end date of 11 September.
The government will continue to look at the innovative ways that we can continue to support our events sector in a COVID-safe manner as the environment changes from now into the future. We look forward to the ongoing ways that our creative sector will be strong and assist Canberra as a whole to move through and beyond this pandemic.
MRS DUNNE (Ginninderra) (9.52): I want to take the opportunity to speak on the petition tabled by Ms Lee in relation to Live in Ya Lounge and to congratulate the local community who has got behind it, especially Lexi Sekuless, who has done the legwork for this petition.
It is interesting that the minister has responded to the barbs about Live in Ya Lounge. This is an extraordinarily successful and popular event, but it does not happen with no money. The event is trying to support people who would otherwise have gig fees
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