Create Australia's Future
At this moment in time when we all have many feelings and fears we are all desperate to connect. I know the power of music to nurture the soul; I know that the arts sustain us and nourish us and inspire us. What is Australia doing during lockdown? Australians are engaging with the arts through books, music, movies, games, crafts, painting, creativity.
And right now, the arts are hurting. 50,000 artists and 600,000 workers are teetering on the edge of their livelihoods. The arts sector is bigger than mining. Six times the size of the aviation industry. And yet our live arts sector is disappearing before our very eyes. Just when we need them most, the creative industry risks collapse.
This is the moment we can pivot. Please find a way to prioritise the arts at this time. Introduce a specialist federal package to support the industry. Make sure Australians are able to return to our theatres and concert halls, dance studios and opera halls with strength, courage and creativity.
Please let us, the artists and creative thinkers of this great nation, help heal and nurture the human spirit as we come together to recover. Let us work to inspire the community and the public; let us make sure our arts and artists have a future. We are resilient. We are imaginative. We are important. Now is the time to show leadership to create Australia’s future.
Carolyn Chard AM, West Australian Opera
Act now to #CreateAustraliasFuture
