Page 2539 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019
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Live music helps to create a sense of community, cultural experience and cultural identity. Immersion in the arts is absolutely critical for a forward thinking, progressive city like Canberra. We have a rich artistic culture here in Canberra. We celebrate participation and engagement in the arts, the development of creativity and the pursuit of artistic excellence.
Live music is an intrinsic element of our city’s cultural identity. Our community and our musicians are passionate supporters of music, and they are constantly creating new and inclusive opportunities to engage with the community. We have rock and classical musicians collaborating, visual artists working with composers, and organisations reaching out to Canberrans of all ages to participate in all forms of the wonder of music. The Canberra community seizes these opportunities to play and to hear live music of all genres, from thrash metal to baroque and everything in between. This happens at events and venues as diverse as the Transit Bar, the Arboretum and Llewelyn Hall. These opportunities, activities and cultural experiences contribute to the ACT arts ecology and to Canberra’s vibrancy. They promote a very strong sense of community, identity and wellbeing.
I can assure you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that the ACT government will continue to support the arts in the ACT, including the live music sector, through our ongoing record level of investment in arts funding, over $10 million in the 2019-20 budget.
The ongoing work to ensure that live music venues are feasible and strong in the context of mixed-use precincts is another important way that the government can support great arts and events in the ACT. I strongly support the work of my colleague the planning minister in making this happen. I commend the amendment to the Assembly.
MR PETTERSSON (Yerrabi) (4.44): I rise to support live music in the capital and I thank Mr Parton—I do not do this often but I will—for bringing this motion forward. I think all in this place agree that we need to nurture and strengthen live music in the ACT.
I think live music is unfairly characterised as a young person’s game. While I admit I have been to a few gigs and concerts in my time I believe that we all enjoy the sound of live music. If you roll up to Bluesfest on the North Coast you will notice that the majority of participants are of the grey-haired variety; definitely not fluoros or blondes. When it comes to live music in the cities I think most people tend to think that it is a young people versus baby boomers argument, and I think that that is inaccurate as well.
People of all ages enjoy their favourite musicians. They enjoy rolling down to their local pub on an afternoon or evening and listening or going off to Llewelyn Hall or maybe the Arboretum. They enjoy live music; they go to live music. People of all ages live near live music venues. However, we are seeing a problem of live music faltering right across Australia. Venues are no longer able to provide live music due to noise and tenancy issues. Bands and performers are finding it harder to book gigs and earn a living. The art form is in trouble in certain places.
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