Mr WARREN - 2007-08-29
We have just finished the most successful Darwin Festival so far. What is the future of the Darwin Festival and what is the future of other festivals supported by this government?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. In the last five years, this government has substantially boosted its support for community festivals in the Northern Territory. We now fund 15 remote festivals, from Kintore in Central Australia to Galiwinku in the Top End, some five regional festivals, and a further five festivals as key organisations. In the current year, total funding for these festivals will be $928 000, which is quite substantial. In addition, the government supports other multicultural festivals, such as the highly successful Greek Glenti Festival.
Festivals celebrate the life of our community, the diversity of our different communities within the Territory and the creativity of Territorians. There is also an opportunity for us to experience activities from other parts of Australia or our near neighbours to the north which we would otherwise not get to see. For example, during the Darwin Festival, we had the dancers from Timor-Lest.
While government may be the backbone of festival funding - for example, the Darwin Festival received $480 000 this year - what made the Darwin Festival are the sponsors, which are the flesh and blood of these important community events. The Darwin Festival, like all festivals, relies on its sponsors for their generosity and community spirit and we just could not do without them. Sponsorship support is what I like to think of as a cultural gift to the community, and it is an invaluable one. I am certain members on both sides of this House will endorse our strongest thanks for the value of these wonderful cultural gifts that we get from our sponsors.
I am pleased to announce today that, a month ago, we gave special support to the Darwin Festival in funding an economic impact study on the value of the festival to the economy. We will replicate that with the Alice Springs Festival and Desert Mob, which is coming up. I often say Alice Springs is a very vibrant, creative arts community with Wearable Arts and all that is happening there. The Chief Minister and I are having a look at the Beanie Festival. It is a fantastic festival and has grown from the $15 000 we gave in support of that to what they are getting now. The exposure is not only national, it is also international. To all of the organisers, the Beanie, the Wearable Arts and the Alice Springs community, I am certainly looking forward to being part of that festival.
We have done that economic study for the Darwin Festival. We will also look at Alice Springs because people often think that these festivals are just a means for people to get up and it is a hobby. These festivals actually add a lot of benefit to the community socially, but also, very importantly, economically. That impact study is about to be finalised. When we have it we will make it public. It is showing some good signs, certainly for the visitations and the number of tourists who were in town who went to the Darwin Festival. I am looking forward to having a look at Alice Springs as well. There are a lot of good signs of its economic value to both Darwin and Alice.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Goyder for his question. In the last five years, this government has substantially boosted its support for community festivals in the Northern Territory. We now fund 15 remote festivals, from Kintore in Central Australia to Galiwinku in the Top End, some five regional festivals, and a further five festivals as key organisations. In the current year, total funding for these festivals will be $928 000, which is quite substantial. In addition, the government supports other multicultural festivals, such as the highly successful Greek Glenti Festival.
Festivals celebrate the life of our community, the diversity of our different communities within the Territory and the creativity of Territorians. There is also an opportunity for us to experience activities from other parts of Australia or our near neighbours to the north which we would otherwise not get to see. For example, during the Darwin Festival, we had the dancers from Timor-Lest.
While government may be the backbone of festival funding - for example, the Darwin Festival received $480 000 this year - what made the Darwin Festival are the sponsors, which are the flesh and blood of these important community events. The Darwin Festival, like all festivals, relies on its sponsors for their generosity and community spirit and we just could not do without them. Sponsorship support is what I like to think of as a cultural gift to the community, and it is an invaluable one. I am certain members on both sides of this House will endorse our strongest thanks for the value of these wonderful cultural gifts that we get from our sponsors.
I am pleased to announce today that, a month ago, we gave special support to the Darwin Festival in funding an economic impact study on the value of the festival to the economy. We will replicate that with the Alice Springs Festival and Desert Mob, which is coming up. I often say Alice Springs is a very vibrant, creative arts community with Wearable Arts and all that is happening there. The Chief Minister and I are having a look at the Beanie Festival. It is a fantastic festival and has grown from the $15 000 we gave in support of that to what they are getting now. The exposure is not only national, it is also international. To all of the organisers, the Beanie, the Wearable Arts and the Alice Springs community, I am certainly looking forward to being part of that festival.
We have done that economic study for the Darwin Festival. We will also look at Alice Springs because people often think that these festivals are just a means for people to get up and it is a hobby. These festivals actually add a lot of benefit to the community socially, but also, very importantly, economically. That impact study is about to be finalised. When we have it we will make it public. It is showing some good signs, certainly for the visitations and the number of tourists who were in town who went to the Darwin Festival. I am looking forward to having a look at Alice Springs as well. There are a lot of good signs of its economic value to both Darwin and Alice.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016