2019 State Election Report Card

Ensure MusicNSW is adequately funded to support contemporary music.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to establish a Music Development Office.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to develop and implement, in conjunction with music industry stakeholders and Destination NSW, a marketing campaign that encourages people to attend live music gigs and events.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to conduct a live music venue census every two years.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to support a NSW Music Crawl and take music industry professionals into regional areas to showcase regional venues, artists and local industry.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to engage Regional Music Champions to support the revitalisation of New South Wales' regional live music scene.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to, in collaboration with the music industry, conduct a public awareness campaign to inform musicians and venue operators of their rights and responsibilities in relation to pay and performance conditions.

Create a $5.1M Band Aid program to help musicians records and tour regionally and nationally, and for industry professional development.

Establish a $1.3M Music Passport program to help musicians from NSW to tour internationally, developed in consultation with Sounds Australia.

Invest $3M into grants for live music venues for promotion, soundproofing and infrastructure such as audio and lighting equipment.

$1m in live music grants through Create NSW's Music Now funding program (closed 14 March 2019).

No future funding commitments.

Provide $200 million to Create NSW to ensure our state is an attractive destination for all those passionate about arts, culture and music.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support Create NSW to collaborate with existing industry organisations such as the Live Music Office and MusicNSW in determining the allocation of funding for government programs related to music.

Support that as a part of a contemporary music strategy, the allocation of funding should be determined by music industry organisations, with appropriate oversight from Create NSW.

NSW music grants to improve the dynamism of NSW’s contemporary music scene, through grants for venue infrastructure, soundproofing and promotion.

Music quick-grants to help artists and organisations take advantage of career opportunities that arise at short notice and outside of the major grants process. This would include funding for touring and recording, and for professional development. 

Allocate $10 million to a ‘Street Party Fund’ to activate public spaces with street festivals.

The NSW Greens currently have as part of their Arts and Creative Industry policy portfolio, a Night Time Culture and Economy portfolio spokesperson who is Jenny Leong MP, Member for Newtown.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support the appointment of a Minister for Music, the Arts and Culture in place of the Minister for the Arts, or appoint a Minister for Music in addition to the Minister for the Arts.

Create a $5.1M Band Aid program to help musicians records and tour regionally and nationally, and for industry professional development.

Support awareness campaigns regarding the importance of musicians receiving fair pay, including the development of an Industry Code of Conduct.

Support the Australian Live Performance Industry Code of Practise to Prevent Workplace Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Bullying developed by the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance and Live Performance Australia.

Support for increasing the level of funding by the state government to support art and artists, including:
• Supporting new and emerging artists
• Continuing to support established arts companies and programs
• Simplifying application processes for grants and funding

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support Create NSW to adopt an industry code of conduct that is developed and endorsed by the Media Entertainment Alliance and the music industry, and that includes an outline of the minimum hourly rate requirements.

Support that when NSW Government funding is being applied to the sector, in principle a minimum payment threshold set out in the Industry code of conduct be applied.

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to, in collaboration with the music industry, conduct a public awareness campaign to inform musicians and venue operators of their rights and responsibilities in relation to pay and performance conditions.

Appropriate on-going funding to Support Act to facilitate their work in supporting musicians and music industry workers, particularly in regards to their mental health.

Support Create NSW to collaborate with Spotify to develop and implement workshops for NSW artists to better understand how to use streaming services to assist them to promote their music, reach new fans and utilise streaming data to identify the geographic areas where their fans are most concentrated.

Support the engagement of local groups and live performances at major NSW government-sponsored sporting, cultural and civic events.

Invest $3M into grants for live music venues for promotion, soundproofing and infrastructure such as audio and lighting equipment.

Conduct a Live Music census every two years to establish the number of venues, musicians and performances that take place at any given time in NSW.

$1m in live music grants through Create NSW's Music Now funding program (closed 14 March 2019).

No future funding commitments.

Provide $5 million to assist venues with sound proofing, including retrofitting existing venues to protect them from noise complaints.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to conduct a live music venue census every two years.

Support Create NSW and the Cultural Infrastructure Program Management Office to reflect on the factors that contributed to the closure of The Basement and consider opportunities to support and enhance Sydney's small to medium sized venues.

Support the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to investigate the viability of identifying NSW live music venues as 'assets of community value', similar to the approach taken in London.

Fund Create NSW to provide grants of up to $25,000 to assist live music venues to install noise attenuation measures.

Implement targeted tax offsets for live music venues to breathe new life into the scene.

Launch a $250 ‘culture pass’ with free access to live music and performance, theatre, galleries, club nights and other cultural events and institutions for the ‘lock-out generation’ who are now 18-24 years old.

Conduct a performance venue audit every two years, identifying culturally significant venues and protecting them as assets of community value and cultural heritage.

Protect venues from noise complaints by embedding the ‘agent of change’ principle into regulation.

Mandatory soundproofing and insulation in all new developments and redevelopments near existing venues.

Establish a ‘Soundproofing Fund’ to retrofit venues threatened by noise complaints.

Support recurrent annual funding of Create NSW to ensure long-term support and viability of the live music industry in NSW.

Support for the NSW Government to develop a contemporary music plan for NSW.

The Greens support NSW government funding for increased and secure funding for music festivals; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts; accessible and affordable music education, including in the regions, to ensure there is better alignment of educational outcomes and industry needs and ongoing funding for community radio and television. The Greens support funding for arts workers and musicians, such as those involved in funded projects, grants and one-off hire, are paid to account for skills, rehearsal and travel as well as performance time.

Support pill-testing.

Establish an independent drug regulatory authority to develop evidence-based and continuously evaluated policies and programs for safer drug use.

Fully fund mandatory emergency services and counter-terrorism strategies for sport, festivals and cultural events.

Standardise the ratio of police and security to attendees at festivals and the bring costs into line with other cultural and sporting events.

Introduce a harm minimisation program for festivals covering pill testing, amnesty bins, drug education, health services and water stations.

Replace fines and criminal penalties for personal drug use and possession with diversion notices to educational and treatment programs.

Scrap the sniffer dog program and roll back police strip search powers.

Invest $1M to help community stations showcase NSW musicians through programs including:
• The broadcast of live performances from local venues and festivals
• Competitions for emerging artists

Change the NSW Government’s advertising guidelines to place a greater share of NSW Government advertising on community stations where appropriate.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Allocate funding to community radio stations to foster new music and meet the costs of building suitable broadcast infrastructure, either under a new community radio grants scheme or as part of the contemporary music funding package.

Investigate opportunities to amend advertising guidelines to encourage government advertising on community radio stations, where appropriate.

Provide funding for community radio.

Invest $4M to establish a new Music Industry Office.

Expand support for ARIA Week and the ARIA Awards in NSW through Destination NSW.

Create a NSW Music Week/Awards to specifically showcase musicians from NSW.

Establish a Music Development Office to support emerging, small and medium arts and organisations to reinvigorate contemporary music in NSW.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support the funding of MusicNSW by Create NSW to develop and implement, in conjunction with music industry stakeholders and Destination NSW, a marketing campaign that encourages people to attend live music gigs and events.

Phase out poker machines restricting them to casinos, returning pubs and clubs to the community.

Invest $1.6M into and support the following areas to achieve designation as a "Music Community":
• Sydney’s CBD and Inner West
• Western Sydney
• South Western Sydney
• Newcastle and the Hunter Region
• The Illawara
• The North Coast
• Tamworth

Rebuild the regional touring circuit by:
• Investing $320,000 to launch a new ‘On the Road Again’ program which will take bookers and agents to regional towns to expose them to local venues and artists
• Investing $1M to extend funding for the Live and Local micro-festival program

Develop a program to help revitalise the live music scene in regional NSW. This would involve delegations of NSW’s leading music artists, managers and booking agents visiting regions to explore opportunities for contemporary music touring and collaboration.

Work with the music industry to develop mentoring programs for music education at school, and as part of that trial the purchase of musical instruments for ten schools in Western Sydney or rural and regional NSW.

Formally review the provision of music education in NSW.

PARLIAMENTARY INQUIRY RECOMMENDATIONS:

Support the NSW Department of Education and Training investigate opportunities to give prominence to music education in curriculums, and improve training for music teachers.