Due to concerns about COVID-19, the Australian Government has today advised against organised, non-essential mass gatherings of more than 500 people from Monday 16 March 2020.
We are seeking urgent clarification on the details of the announcement, in particular 'advice' versus a 'government directive', the timeframe for this advice and the details of implementation. The government needs to provide a clear directive as other jurisdictions have done so industry and the public are very clear about what this means. The industry needs to be able to plan and communicate to its audience, artists and staff with confidence in this very difficult time.
The flow on effects of this are huge which is why this morning we called on the Federal Government to urgently work on a plan to support industry immediately, both in the short term and as part of the recovery phase.
Evelyn Richardson
