Business Victoria has opened round two of the Live Performance Support Program for suppliers and presenters. If you were contracted to work on a live performance event that has been postponed or cancelled, we encourage you to apply for this funding.
If you’re thinking about applying for Business Victoria's Live Performance Support Program Round Two, register for one of our free online information sessions! We'll cover changes from the last round of funding, program guidelines (including eligibility and how to apply) and answer all your questions.
Click the links below for more info and to register.
REGISTER FOR THE SUPPLIER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 2pm
Session 2 : 3 September at 2pm
REGISTER FOR THE PRESENTER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 4pm
Session 2: 3 September at 4pm
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
The Victorian Government is providing more support for live performance events that have been cancelled due to the recent coronavirus restrictions.
The Victorian government updated this program in response to industry feedback and to assist a wider range of affected event businesses and workers.
For eligibility details and to apply, visit business.vic.gov.au. Applications close on Wednesday, 8 September 2021.
If you’re thinking about applying for Business Victoria's Live Performance Support Program Round Two, register for one of our free online information sessions! We'll cover changes from the last round of funding, program guidelines (including eligibility and how to apply) and answer all your questions.
REGISTER FOR THE SUPPLIER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 2pm
Session 2 : 3 September at 2pm
REGISTER FOR THE PRESENTER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 4pm
Session 2: 3 September at 4pm
On Tuesday, June 15, the Victorian Government announced details of the $20 million dedicated Victorian Events Support Package dedicated to supporting event organisers, hosts and suppliers as they manage the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and current restrictions.
It is part of more than $500 million in business support offered in response to restrictions announced on Thursday 27 May 2021 that includes the Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two and the Licensed Venue Hospitality Fund 2021, which are already open for applications.
The Victorian Events Support Package delivers five streams of support:
Information on how to apply and when applications open will be published soon. For more information on each program, please visit business.vic.gov.au/events-support
Yesterday the Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino announced a new $250 million business support package, for small-medium size businesses including sole traders and events industry operators. Full details are still to come, but you can register to be notified here: https://business.vic.gov.au/grants-and-programs/circuit-breaker-business-support-package
While any support is greatly appreciated, Music Victoria are worried that many in our industry may still miss out due to anticipated eligibility requirements.
As such, we invite you to share with us the impact that this most recent Victorian Lockdown has had on your work in the Music Industry - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfhAyOPchF84rZojR60YWeTEfOSajJgcN7_1fBFy7_moJWXRg/viewform
And if you need urgent financial assistance or just someone to talk too, please reach out to Support Act - https://supportact.org.au/
This morning, the Federal Government announced $135m in extra support for music: $125m in additional RISE funding and $10m to Support Act.
By Susan Scollon - Insurance broker at PNOinsurance
When the Victorian Government closed venues as part of Covid-19 minimisation measures, many venue operators assumed that their business interruption insurance would cover their losses. To be informed by their brokers that pandemics were not covered and losses would be their own responsibility, crushed any hope of light at the end of the tunnel.
Insurers caught off guard
Insurers never intended to provide cover for a global infectious disease. From a commercial perspective, covering losses for such an unpredictable, widespread event is not financially viable. Terrorism risk is similarly assessed as so unpredictable and potentially financially catastrophic that the mechanism to fund recovery from such an event is not via insurance companies, but via government through levies.
Insurers are constantly updating their policy wordings in response to loss trends and changes in legislation. Many have not been so adept in updating their infectious disease exclusion, given the last truly global pandemic (the Spanish Flu) was 100 years’ ago. Now it appears a large number of them have been caught off guard, failing to update their policy wording to reflect current legislation.
Insurers look to exclude cover for global pandemics by reference to diseases declared
A recent Australian test case addressing business interruption due to the pandemic has ruled in favour of the insured, meaning that many businesses can potentially claim for losses suffered due to Covid-19 closures and restrictions.
In essence, the NSW Supreme Court addressed a specific issue on whether insurers could rely on their policy exclusions that reference the now defunct Quarantine Act 1908, which was replaced in 2016 by the Biosecurity Act. The judges unanimously found against insurers and held that Covid-19 is not a disease ‘declared to be a quarantinable disease under the Quarantine Act 1908 and subsequent amendments’ and as such, were not excluded from the disease benefit clauses.
What does this mean for venue operators?
This result is not a blanket confirmation that all claims for business interruption losses will now be covered. It relates only to policies that look to exclude cover by specific referencing of the Quarantine Act of 1908 and subsequent amendments. We estimate up to 50% of commercial policy reference the obsolete Quarantine Act.
The outcome will have a very significant impact on insurers large and small with one major Australian insurer, IAG raising new capital on the ASX as a direct consequence of this decision. Whilst insurers have the right to appeal this decision, we expect there will be further cases addressing other aspects of business interruption cover arising from COVID-19 and that in the long term, the claims paid by insurance companies will ultimately be reflected in the future premiums of policyholders.
Next steps
Your insurance broker should have engaged with you following this significant test case as most live music venues do have business interruption cover. Your broker will be able to advise you on your specific policy coverage and then the appropriate course of action with regard to lodging claims. In what has been a very bleak year for the industry, there may, at last, be a silver lining.
Susan Scollon is an insurance broker at PNOinsurance who specialises in protecting hospitality businesses. For further information or advice, please contact Susan at sscollon@pno.com.au or 0408 720 569.
The State Government this morning announced a $13 million funding package for the Victorian music sector, and groundbreaking new planning controls that will support venues and set the foundation for the establishment of Live Music Precincts.
These first announcements of the Victorian Live Music Grants and the planning recognition for live music spaces were key planks of Music Victoria’s Live Music Rescue Package proposal which were strongly promoted by the Save our Scene campaign.
The state-wide planning recognition for live music venues, slated to be gazetted this week, is a game changer, and along with the object in the Liquor Act recognising the economic, social and cultural contribution of live music, will ensure that live music is protected and supported by the regulatory system for generations to come.
Other strategic grants will go a long way to helping artists and some of the more vulnerable sectors of the industry, including youth, Regional and First Nations, navigate their way out of the crisis.
Music Victoria thanks the State Government for listening to the industry, its visionary approach and its generous support of the contemporary music sector at this crucial time.
Read the press release here:
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/supporting-our-world-famous-music-scene-and-workers
See the list of venue recipients here:
https://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2020/supporting-our-music-industry-to-rebuild-and-recover#
Music Victoria is thrilled that the State Government has supported our live music rescue package to help Victorian live music venues through this crisis. Music Victoria has been meeting with venue owners weekly since the shutdown forced closures on Friday March 13, collecting data and articulating issues and priorities to local, state and federal governments.
Friday’s announcement that Creative Victoria would be providing $15 million in grants to venues across the state with a capacity of 50 to 1200 people that have a "reputation for presenting original live music” was, as expected, very well received by Victorian venues.
''Like other venue owners, we were extremely relieved to see this support package announcement from the State of Victoria. Venues are the backbone of Melbourne's thriving and world-renowned music scene, and our survival will be absolutely critical to the recovery of the music industry as a whole. We thank the Labor Government for recognising the role venues play and for supporting us and our families as we work through the many challenges ahead,’’ said a regional venue owner.
''This announcement is very much the difference between survival and disaster,’’ said another venue owner.
''Due to COVID, it is obviously impossible for us to stage live music events, and it is only government funding that will keep our industry alive," said another.
Applications will open on 16 July and close at 5pm, 6 August. Further details on the program are available on the Creative Victoria website with full available in the coming days. Next week, Music Victoria and the VMDO will be holding an information session for venue owners so stay tuned for details.
This comes on top of a four year national $20 million Live Music Program to be rolled out by the Federal Government soon, as well as various grants from local governments, the Australia Council and organisations such as APRA/AMCOS and PPCA.
Creative Victoria are still developing the previously announced $4 million that will help support musicians and industry workers who have lost gigs and employment due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Thank you to Premier Daniel Andrews, Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley and the Creative Victoria team, Treasurer Tim Pallas, former Minister for Gaming and Liquor Regulation Marlene Kairouz, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and all of their advisors for listening and appreciating the importance of this support in protecting our world famous live music venues.
The industry has never been so united, and we thank everyone who has worked so hard on collecting data and preparing proposals, including the National Live Music Office and the passionate bookers in lobby group Save Our Scene who organised the largest ever e-petition tabled in Parliament urging the government to deliver Music Victoria’s proposal. Also, a shout out to Music Victoria members Dobe Newton and Adrian Furby for their assistance in building the case for support. We are continuing to talk to the Government about planning protection for venues and hope an announcement will be made shortly.
While this announcement provides a ray of light for the music industry, the path to recovery is far from over and Music Victoria will continue to work closely with the community to support and grow the incredible scene we have. For venues, Music Victoria and the VMDO have prepared a Guidance Note to help live music venues reopen and navigate their operations when it is safe to do so.
https://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2020/new-role-to-help-support-victorias-music-industry