EIA Chair responds

Chair Tim Kennedy responds to the Premier Mark McGowan announced a $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package

Earlier today, the Premier Mark McGowan announced a $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package to support businesses and individuals in sectors most affected by the decision to delay the full reopening of Western Australia's borders.

After advocating for many months, the Events Industry Association is grateful for, and welcomes, the State Government's recognition that as an industry the event sector is deserving of its own assistance after having been forgotten for much of the pandemic, with the events industry often being left out or included as part of more generic packages geared towards other industries.

As part of the package, the events industry will receive the following support:

* a $10 million extension and expansion of the Getting the Show Back on the Road Program - to cover up to 75 per cent of lost ticket sales where a State Government mandate directly requires an event to be cancelled, self-cancelled events linked to the border delay decision and eligible substantially scaled back events that proceed; and

* a $3 million Event Suppliers Support Program - providing payments to eligible event suppliers for ticketed events with $10,000 grants for sole traders, $20,000 for small businesses and $50,000 for large businesses with pre-COVID annual turnover of more than $1 million.

In addition to the support received over Christmas, the EIA would like to thank the Premier, Hon. Don Punch MLA and David Templeman MLA for their support and for meeting with and working with the EIA over the past few months to secure these packages.

That said, the EIA acknowledges that this package won't help everyone. With an industry as diverse as events, this can be difficult however, the EIA has been working hard over the past month the work with Government to change the criteria for the Christmas/NYE grants and has put forward submissions which we hope will see more people eligible. This has only been possible though with your feedback.

We hope to do the same with this package, so we call on all members and non-members alike to please let us know your thoughts on the package and doing so, let us know what changes you think are needed to ensure that your business receives assistance where necessary. Your feedback puts us in a better position to continue our advocacy efforts, so help us help you.

Please send us your feedback here via email to admin@eia.com.au