Support Act announces MUSICKEEPER and CREWKEEPER grants

The Board and staff of Support Act warmly welcome the additional $10m in funding support announced by the Treasurer, the Hon Josh Frydenberg MP, and the Minister for Communications Urban Infrastructure Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, yesterday.

Support Act is very pleased that the Australian Government has recognised the special challenges live entertainment workers will continue to face over the next six months as JobKeeper ends but restrictions on standing capacity in venues and border uncertainties remain, said Clive Miller, CEO. While RISE grants will eventually provide relief to many, Support Act recognises that such funds are unlikely to reach those worst affected by the end of JobKeeper before mid-year.

The additional funding provided by the Australian Government through the Office for the Arts will enable Support Act to extend its crisis relief grants to all genres of artists, crew and music workers in need over the next few critical months. These modest “MusicKeeper” and “CrewKeeper” grants of $2,000 ($2,700 for families) will not replace JobKeeper. They are intended to cushion the blow for those who remain largely unable to earn income due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions designed to protect public health.

It will also enable the organisation to continue to deliver life saving mental health and wellbeing programs such as the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, Manager Support Hotline, First Nations Dedicated Helpline, Mental Health First Aid Training, Workplace Wellness Check Ins, Tune Ups mental health content series, On My Mind open access webinars and more.

The support of the Federal Government through the Office of the Arts has made a huge difference to thousands of music worker’s lives over the past 12 months, Miller added. Support Act would like to acknowledge and thank the Treasurer and the Communications and Arts Minister for providing this much needed lifeline to get music workers through the next two quarters, by which time we hope everyone will be back to doing what they love, which is making live music.

Applications for COVID “MusicKeeper” and “CrewKeeper” Crisis Relief Grants can be made via the Get Help page on the Support Act website: supportact.org.au/get-help/

The Wellbeing Helpline, Manager Support Hotline and First Nations Dedicated Helpline can be accessed by calling 1800 959 500.

Support Act’s Mental Health Resources are available on the Resources Tab of our website: supportact.org.au/resources/mental-health-resources/.