The Victorian Government is backing Victorian sport, tourism and creative industries, with a $150 million Experience Economy Survival Package to support sporting clubs and competitions across the state – from grassroots to elite – as well as major tourist attractions, galleries and museums, and the racing industry.
Together, these sectors contribute nearly $70 billion to the Victorian economy and support hundreds of thousands of jobs, but they have been hit hard by measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The package includes $40 million for community sport and recreation bodies including state sporting associations, leagues and clubs.
A further $16 million will go to national sporting organisations, and $5.3 million will support the State Sport Centres Trust and the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust.
The government will also invest $44 million in the state's racing industry, to help secure jobs and bolster racing clubs across the state.
More than $32 million will support creative agencies and initiatives, including funding for the Geelong Arts Centre, Museums Victoria, National Gallery of Victoria, Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Recital Centre and $6 million for live music industry workers and to bolster the oversubscribed Sustaining Creative Workers initiative.
These funds are in addition to the $16.8 million support package recently announced for creative industries and bring the total survival package for jobs in the creative sector to more than $49 million.
The package also includes $11 million for Victoria's tourism industry, with funding for the Emerald Tourist Railway Board (Puffing Billy) and other not-for-profit and privately-owned visitor attractions, plus regional tourism boards and the Victorian Tourism Industry Council.
