October 6, 2021

My adjournment is to the Minister for Small Business and the action I seek is for the Minister to establish an Event Industry Recovery Taskforce to strategically develop and promote events during the next phase of the pandemic, and support the survival of thousands of small business operators in the event industry.

The event industry is worth over $12 billion a year to Victoria, and only five per cent of these relate to major events.  The pandemic has had an enormous impact on events across my electorate alone, with thousands of events cancelled that bring joy to communities, provide jobs and support the economy.

The Event Industry Survey reported that, from April 2020 to May 2021, businesses in the Victorian Event Industry on average earned only 19 per cent of the income they would earn during normal times.  Most businesses believe they will be down to just 52 per cent of their pre-COVID capacity on reopening.

I have been in consultation with the sector for more than a year on the myriad of issues affecting them, including being ineligible for most financial support, problems getting insurance, and their call for recognition as a standalone industry.

The (government’s) Public Event Framework remains suspended since May and the roadmap provides little clarity for the sector beyond assuming that their ability to work could be linked to entertainment venue caps. Other industries such as arts and recreation, professional sport and racing at least know that when 80 per cent of the population aged over 16 is vaccinated, they will have density limits of one person per 2 square metres, but there are murmurings that this will be capped at 500.

Save Victorian Events has been calling for the Major Events (ministerial) portfolio to expand and give umbrella to the entire events industry or to be separated and linked in with Small Business. Either way, I hope the government will consider how to give voice to this industry that traverses across so many others – like music, arts, sport – but somehow still seems to miss a place at the table.

There is $152 million of funding dedicated across four years for the Major Events Fund, and $20 million in the Regional Events Fund – this money could be utilised to get smaller events back up and running, knowing that the next 12 months will be vital to ensure the survival of the event industry for the decades ahead. It needs a strategic hand and I urge the government to establish this Taskforce.

Photo credit – Border Mail