Too many people in our arts community already struggle to make ends meet, let alone having to navigate lost income when shit hits the fan.
Arts workers are in a Catch-22 - either stay home when you’re sick but sacrifice your income and ability to pay the bills, or go to work to survive but potentially spread illness. It’s just not fair.
By excluding arts workers from the Sick Pay Guarantee, Labor has turned its back on the arts.
The arts sector is once again being overlooked and undervalued. We must ensure artists and arts workers have fair and equitable access to the same safety nets as casual workers in other industries do.
Join Greens candidate for Richmond in the upcoming state election, Gabrielle de Vietri to call on the Victorian Labor Government to extend the Sick Pay Guarantee to arts workers.
Arts workers are once again being overlooked by the Victorian State Government, with major industries, including the arts, ineligible for the new Sick Pay Guarantee scheme. Gabrielle, herself an artist, is calling for the scheme to be extended to include casual workers in the arts sector, effective immediately. Arts workers who are currently missing out on the program include casually or self-employed visual artists, producers, musicians, theatre workers, film makers, live production professionals and more.
It has been well publicised how the arts sector has suffered throughout the pandemic, dealing with ongoing cancellations and work insecurity. Artists and arts workers continue to be vulnerable to loss of work and income due to illness, with high rates of casual employment in the sector. Despite contributing greatly to community and culture, there is currently no provision for the arts sector under the Andrews Government's scheme. At present the Sick Pay Guarantee is only available to a limited list of jobs, including cleaners, sales assistants, and security workers.
Main Image: Local artists join Gabrielle de Vietri to call for sick pay for the arts.
L-R: Andy Butler (artist), Madeleine Thornton-Smith (ceramic artist and tutor), Sebastian Henry-Jones, Gabrielle de Vietri (Greens candidate for Richmond), Martha (Independent artist), Xavier (Theatre worker), Colin (Musician).
Photo by Julian Meehan.