Australian live music and events sector calls for COVID local film and television production insurance to be matched

With the announcement today that the Federal Government is extending the Temporary Interruption Fund (TIFF) to help the screen sector through the continued uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, the live music and entertainment industry again calls on Minister Fletcher to urgently create a similar scheme for live music and events.

Following Minister Paul Fletcher's announcement today of the extension of the $50m TIFF, the united live music and entertainment industry bodies AAM, AFA, ALMBC, AMIN, APRA AMCOS, ARIA, PPCA, LEIF and Live Performance Australia again call on Prime Minister Scott Morrison, State Premiers and Territory Chief Ministers to deliver a government-backed insurance scheme.

Since the Omicron wave has hit around the country the live music and events sector has once again been smashed with restrictive health orders and COVID spread leading once again to mass cancellations and rescheduled events.

The Temporary Interruption Fund for the Film industry was today extended by $50m, yet the live music and entertainment industry’s calls over the past 18 months for a similar national scheme have fallen on deaf ears. Australia now lags behind New Zealand, the UK, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Estonia in delivering a solution to this issue.

Victoria has already delivered an insurance scheme that is now set to be tested by the Omicron-related disruptions, but a national approach is needed if the live music and entertainment industry is going to “ride this wave”, survive and play its role living with the virus.