2020-03-24
The Greens will continue to push for a targeted package for the arts and creative industries after the Morrison Government refused to support Greens’ amendments to the Coronavirus Stimulus Package provide extra financial support to the hardest hit industries.
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the stimulus package doesn’t provide adequate support to large sections of the population who will be left behind and disproportionately affected by this health crisis, and the ensuing social and economic shutdown.
“Last night the Greens called on the Government to immediately amend the package to ensure proper support is provided to those left behind,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“This included casual and gig employees with no paid leave entitlements and extra financial support to hardest hit industries including tourism, hospitality and the arts and entertainment sector.
“The arts is vital to our economy, our culture, other sectors including tourism and hospitality and will play a huge role in recovery on the other side of this crisis, but if it doesn’t get the right support now, there will be no industry left.”
The Greens managed to get the Government to agree to extending the Coronavirus supplement to students, they did not agree to extending it to carers and disability support pension recipients.
Senator Hanson-Young said the Greens also called on the Government to provide a jobs guarantee so that as many people as possible remain employed during the crisis and a wages guarantee so that money goes to workers who need it and to keeping businesses going.
“If we can keep people in work during this crisis then every job we continue to keep is another job we don’t have to create when the crisis is over, but unlike in the UK, the Australian Government has failed to attach strings to its package which would ensure the money gets to workers,” she said.
The Greens also moved to reverse ABC funding cuts and the efficiency dividend which is jeopardising the public broadcaster’s ability to deliver timely, accurate and reliable advice to the public during this crisis.
“We will keep pushing for the ABC funding to be reinstated, especially after the vital role it has played in back-to-back crisis of the bushfires and now coronavirus,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
Read Senator Hanson-Young’s Second Reading Speech on the stimulus package bills in full.