Dr WOODRUFF - Minister, I want to provide you with an opportunity for, I suppose taking up something which was reported to me. I had an Arts stakeholder meeting with quite a range of people from the Arts sector, when Senator Sarah Hanson Young was in Tasmania, talking about federal and obviously, state issues.
A very large gap which everyone in the room nominated and agreed a really big important hole in how the sector functions in Tasmania, is that there is not an annual creative producers and organisations gathering. There isn't a way of bringing together these producers and the organisations, not just the peak bodies, but the producers.
To share ideas with each other and just to touch base, to make opportunities for connection in so many different ways. Nothing specific, but they felt it was a really missed opportunity that could create efficiencies, if you want to think of it that way, when people just bounce ideas, increase the richness in Tasmania.
Would you think about looking at how you could lead a process like that and enable people to come together? It would not have to be a massive thing, but they felt that it would be very beneficial.
Ms ARCHER - That is really interesting. One thing I do have as Ministerial Arts and Cultural Advisory Council shortened to MACAC, it is worse than SCAG and sounds really bad when you say it quickly.
But, that was established as a part of an ongoing commitment to supporting cultural policy development in Tasmania. That is quite a large group of individuals I have brought together from a range of different genres across the sector. Members of that inaugural council are: Peta Heffernan, design and architecture; Fiona McConaghy, film and television, very well known in the film and television industry; Mary Scott, visual arts and academia; Robert Jarman from theatre; Scott Rankin, community arts and cultural development; Nicolas Heyward, music and other areas; Chris Tassell, cultural heritage; Emma Porteus, dance and festivals; Sinsa Mansell, Tasmanian Aboriginal culture and performance; Steven Joyce, galleries and visual arts; Jason Imms, digital games; and Brian Ritchie, festivals and music. It is broad sector representation for MACAC.
Throughout COVID-19, we have met virtually. We have had periods of COVID-19, there was an election as well and I am hoping to settle on some meetings that we can have through that council. The council is there to be representative of the arts community. It is not something that I would ever say is a complete forum of everyone, but it is intended to feed into me policy, ideas and development. They had a huge role to play in the development of the Cultural and Creative Industries Recovery Strategy: 2020 and Beyond. They helped the department settle that document. That is a blueprint and I take the opportunity to thank the members of my advisory council, MACAC, for that work because they did a significant amount of work in relation to that strategy.
We will continue to meet, so I would ask that if people have ideas for policy development to feed it through to any of those industry representatives or directly to me. I am not averse to holding some type of forum at some stage, but I want to put on the record the valuable work that my council does and the feedback they already provide me across that broad range of sectors.
Dr WOODRUFF - What was the intention of those comments is not to detract from that higher-level policy work which is really bearing fruit, but to have something more like a mini conference. I don't want to tighten it or frame it. It is open to all comers but it is focused specifically and directly at producers and creators, so it is not like a peak body. It could be an opportunity to have side workshops of policy areas which the MACAC could be the auspicing and running. There is a need to talk and connect and work across industries with Dr Sudmalis's work and consulting with peak bodies; it is a question of how open that process is as well.
Ms ARCHER - We can take that on notice. Can I also go back to - you know how I have said, Ms O'Byrne, that I am going to take that on notice because I think it is an important point. There were some changes made to the Live Performance Support Program and that was the case on 6 February so I can add to the answers. Eligible entities can apply for guarantee ranging from $10 000 to $100 000 towards events and performances that feature Tasmanian artists. Since changes were introduced on 6 February, grounds for claiming a guarantee now include cancellation of performances or events or reduction of audience capacity due to the Tasmanian Government Public Health Officer's state directives relating to COVID-19, cancellation or postponement of performances or events while cast crew members or venue staff in Tasmania quarantine or isolate in accordance with public health or state directives at the time of the scheduled performance. This means that financial assistance is available to help present as managed costs associated with cancellations on covered performances or events. Support through this program enables organisers to recoup some costs and put arrangements in place to restage performances, if possible.
I am not sure if that helps, Ms O'Byrne.