Industry response to coronavirus (COVID-19)

The following information has been circulated to PAC Australia Members and is now being made publicly available. 

This page will be kept up to date as new information becomes available. 

You can also visit our COVID-19 Resources page for useful or interesting links and materials to assist you or your organisation. 

 

Update 21/4/2020

 

SURVEY – SOME PREVIEW DATA

Thank you to everyone who has already completed the latest impact survey. The survey is open for a while longer, so if you haven’t completed it yet, please do so here.

We have circulated some initial results to government and our advocacy partners, but thought you might be interested in some initial information on where your colleagues are at (more to come):

• Only 27% of respondents are eligible for JobKeeper
• 63% have had to let go some or all their casual staff and 47% have retained casual staff on reduced hours, or they have been redeployed into other work
• 77% have noted an impact on staff wellbeing
• 84% of you are working from home
• 30% of you are presenting virtual events and, of those, 62% have never delivered online content before. 70% of these activities are being provided free of charge.
• 31% are offering remote learning/professional development for staff

 

ADVOCACY UPDATE

Since our last report, PAC Australia has “met” one-on-one and attended various industry roundtables with the Minister’s Advisor, the Australia Council, the Office for the Arts,  and other advocacy partners (e.g. Regional Arts Australia, NAVA etc). This morning, we were involved in a roundtable with Tony Burke’s office (Shadow Minister for the Arts).

We have submitted our research and all stages of impact survey data to the above stakeholders, Sarah Hanson-Young, the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) and state arts agencies. We will also be supplying final survey data to our state-based presenter association counterparts so that they can work directly with these state agencies as well.

 

JOBKEEPER & CASH FLOW ASSISTANCE

• A reminder that eligible organisations must apply on behalf of employees to access the JobKeeper scheme – it is not an automatic payment. The application process is set out here.
• Organisations requiring cash flow assistance can now access temporary support through the ATO.

 

Update 9/4/2020

 

FUNDING ANNOUNCED

The Federal Government has committed $27m in support for the arts sector. The media release from the Minister’s office is here.

The Government is providing:

• $10 million to help regional artists and organisations develop new work and explore new delivery models. The funding will be delivered through Regional Arts Australia’s Regional Arts Fund.
• $7 million to support Indigenous artists and arts centres. The funding will be delivered under the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program
• $10 million to Support Act to provide mental health services

 

We welcome this injection of funds, however clearly it only skims the surface of the amount and type of funding support that is required and we’re not letting up on the pressure to all levels of government. It’s encouraging to see, however, media coverage is expanding beyond the arts silo with the sectors campaign efforts now making it into the Financial Review.

PAC Australia congratulates Ros Abercrombie from Regional Arts Australia for her work representing and advocating for the needs of artists and arts organisations throughout Australia. The $10m for regional arts is an incredible outcome.

 

PAC AUSTRALIA & CULTURE COUNTS IMPACT SURVEY

Thank you to everyone who has already completed our impact survey. It’s the data we receive through these means which enable us to argue the case for more, critical funding.

This survey is for everyone  – not just venues/presenters.

https://culturecounts.cc/s/3FXCDe

This is a presenter/venue/producer version of a larger survey we’ve developed with Culture Counts – so while your responses will be added to a larger ‘pool’ of data, we will be able to filter the results based on your specific organisation type and location.

It really is critical that you participate in this data collection, even if you supplied us with some initial impact data.

If you would like to view the questions ahead of time (noting not all will apply to each organisation), you can do so here.

 

Update 7/4/2020

 

JOBKEEPER STIMULUS

JobKeeper will go before Parliament tomorrow, Wednesday April 8.

A FAQ fact sheet is now available to view here.

Please note that these FAQ’s confirm that local governments are not eligible for the JobKeeper payment. We have flagged the potential impact of this (on casual staff in particular) with the Australia Council, the Office for the Arts and Treasury.

 

JOBS HUB

Launched last week, the new Jobs Hub from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website lists employers who are scaling up their workforce quickly (e.g. agriculture, healthcare, transport and logistics, etc) with a range of job listings (including opportunities within the Australian Government).

We all want to keep our staff employed and in the sector wherever possible, but this is a great resource for organisations forced to down-scale their workforce to direct employees to other opportunities and see them through these times – particularly those that aren’t going to be covered by JobKeeper.

 

STREAMING LIVE PERFORMANCES

LPA have compiled a state-by-state list of government directives relating to live streaming performances.

Refer to our COVID-19 Resources page for the full information.

 

ONE MUSIC

One Music licences have been paused for businesses and organisations affected by COVID-19. We encourage you to contact OneMusic directly to confirm how this applies to you, however it may mean:

• Accounts placed on hold including any collection activity i.e. outstanding invoices can be deferred
• If your licence continues when you reopen, your account could be adjusted to account for the period where music was not in use. Special payment arrangements may also be put in place to assist you moving forward
• In the worst case scenario of a permanent cessation of trading due to COVID-19, your account can be cancelled and any fees paid in advance will be refunded.

 

Update 31/3/2020

 

The Treasury’s announcement of JobKeeper packages will come as a relief for some employers and employees.

Refer to the information on our COVID-19 Resources page for full details on the package and how it may impact you or your organisation.

 

Update 30/3/2020

 

The Prime Minister and Treasurer have announced a $130 billion wage subsidy – the JobKeeper payment. Eligible employers will receive a payment of $1,500 per fortnight per eligible employee.

While this is not a sector-specific package, it does respond to some of the priorities outlined in last Friday’s industry letter.

The payment applies to full time, part time and casual staff but conditions apply, including demonstrating a reduction in revenue of 30% or more since 1 March. Self-employed people are also eligible for the payment. Payments will commence in May, but will be backdated to March.

You can register for updates on the JobKeeper payment here.

 

Update 29/3/2020

 

Effective midnight, 30 March 2020, indoor and outdoor gatherings will be limited to two people (previously the maximum gathering size was 10 people). Note the legal enforcement of the two-person limit is on a state by state basis, but the previous limits have been subject to penalties for infringements.

 

Update 22/3/2020 1900 AWST

 

FUNDING SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY

The support measures for small businesses and workers announced by the Prime Minister today will provide some relief for our casual labour force and sole traders through income support payments, however further immediate, sector-specific support packages are vital to make a material difference to the ongoing sustainability of arts organisations around the country.

We also recognise that the support measures announced today specifically for business may not be accessible for many of our venue-members in particular, depending on your management structure and we are making that case to government.

Alongside our specific media release, you will have likely seen the media statement issued by the LPA on Friday and counter-signed by other peak organisations including PAC Australia which was accompanied by a proposed relief package. The package has since been updated and we will continue to aggressively pursue the implementation of this package alongside our colleagues in our ongoing communications and meetings with government.

The Hon Paul Fletcher, Minister for Communications, Cyber-Safety and the Arts issued this media release today. We specifically note the following:

In addition to these economy wide measures, both the Australia Council and the Office for the Arts have been given discretion under Commonwealth Grant Rules to provide reporting and other grant condition relief to organisations with existing Australian Government funding arrangements. These include:

• Removing requirements on meeting audience KPIs
• Bringing forward payments
• Delaying or removing reporting requirements
• Varying the purposes and outcomes of funding
• Extending timelines for projects
• Allowing organisations to use money provided for a deliverable to be repurposed to pay essential bills such as wages, rent or utilities.

More information on support announced today: https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus

 

UPDATE ON PUBLIC GATHERING CLOSURES

As per the Prime Minister’s media conference this evening (Sunday) the national cabinet has determined that other public spaces must now close as a means to enforce social distancing. We’re including this notice for the information of members who operate or are co-located with such venues – these include cinemas, indoor sporting venues, places of worship, registered and licenced pubs and clubs, and casinos. Restaurants and cafes will be restricted to take-away service only. These measures come into effect from midday, Monday 23^rd March.

The state-by-state legislation on public mass gatherings as at Friday afternoon is provided here. Please bear in mind there will likely be continual adjustments based on ongoing developments.

 

MESSAGE FROM OZ CO CEO, ADRIAN COLLETTE, FRIDAY 20 MARCH

Source: https://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/about/covid-19/

“This week we have seen our cultural and creative sectors suffer enormous damage as a result of the unfolding COVID-19 crisis that has seen public gatherings, performances and exhibitions cancelled. Hundreds of thousands of arts workers have had significant negative impacts to their immediate and future livelihoods, not to mention the many thousands more employed in related industries driven so strongly by the arts, such as tourism.

Many of you are anxious for news about what support can be offered.

We are doing everything that we can at this time to assist a coordinated approach across all areas of the arts.

We have continued to work at speed to provide advice, information and data to the Office for the Arts and the Minister’s Office to inform the Australian government’s response.

We are also rapidly reframing how the Australia Council’s programs can support the cultural and creative sectors in these unprecedented times. We will share the outcomes of this work as soon as this work is finalised.

It has been enormously important to hear from so many of you and witness great acts of organising and solidarity, including many creative responses to make people feel included at a time of social distancing. In these stressful times, our sector continues to be extraordinary.”

 

Update 18/3/2020 1000 AWST

 

• The Prime Minister has this morning announced that public, indoor, non-essential mass-gatherings must now be limited to 100 people, effective immediately. The pre-existing ban restricting mass outdoor gatherings to 500 people will remain in place.
• The Human Biosecurity Emergency declared by the national security committee gives the government the power to enforce quarantine measures.  The states are again tasked with implementing the restrictions, so updates to existing bans in place will be advised.
• The PM’s stated this morning to expect “six months of disruption.”

 

More info to come when we have it.

 

Update 17/3/2020

 

1. Confirming the information available on state-by-state bans of gatherings of more than 500 people (huge thanks to LPA – Live Performance Australia for providing some of this information and their associated efforts in researching and collating). 

 

NSW      The New South Wats Public Health (COVID-19 Public Events) Order 2020 directs that a person must not hold a public event at which there are, or are likely to be, 500 or more in attendance at any one time. This is effective March 16 2020 until midnight 14 June 2020. Further details

QLD       Non-essential organised gatherings should not go ahead from March 16, 2020 – it currently stands as a precautionary measure. Further details

SA          A Public Health Emergency has been declared, but no specific directions on mass gatherings have been advised.

VIC         The Victorian Governments declared State of Emergency is effective noon 16 March 2020 until midnight 13 April 2020. The first direction under this state of emergency is to ban non-essential mass gatherings of over 500 people. Further details

WA        The WA Government has announced a Public Health Emergency on January 29 2020 and a State of Emergency from 15 March 2020 with no end date known. All non-essential organised gatherings of 500 or more people are banned. Further details. WA have also introduced their own economic stimulus package to support businesses and individuals: Further details.

TAS        The Tasmanian Government has announced a Public Health Emergency effective 15 March 2020; however, specific details about mass gatherings are not yet known.

ACT        The government has announced a public health emergency effective 16 March 2020. This includes a requirement that non-essential mass gatherings of more than 500 people should not occur.

NT          The NT Government has advised that static non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people will be prevented indefinitely.

 

2. Australian Tax Office support measures

 

Thank you to the LPA for supplying this information.

The Australian Tax Office (ATO) has announced it will implement a series of administrative measures to assist Australians experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Options available to assist businesses impacted by COVID-19 include:

• Deferring by up to four months the payment date of amounts due through the business activity statement (including PAYG instalments), income tax assessments, fringe benefits tax assessments and excise
• Allowing businesses on a quarterly reporting cycle to opt into monthly GST reporting in order to get quicker access to GST refunds they may be entitled to
• Allowing businesses to vary Pay As You Go (PAYG) instalment amounts to zero for the March 2020 quarter. Businesses that vary their PAYG instalment to zero can also claim a refund for any instalments made for the September 2019 and December 2019 quarters
• Remitting any interest and penalties, incurred on or after 23 January 2020, that have been applied to tax liabilities
• Helping affected businesses pay their existing and ongoing tax liabilities by allowing them to enter into low interest payment plans.

Anyone impacted by COVID-19 is advised to contact the ATO to request assistance on their Emergency Support Infoline 1800 806 218, when they are ready, to discuss their situation.

 

Update 10/3/2020

 

Risk Management Plan