Key arts events in the south east have been cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic in a devastating blow for a region trying to find its feet after the summer's bushfires.
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Several cancellations announced on Monday included Four Winds Festival, Lake Light Sculpture and Cobargo Unites - a scaled back version of the already-cancelled Cobargo Folk Festival that was to be held as a bushfire benefit concert.
"We are acutely aware that the Easter Festival not going ahead will be another body-blow to local businesses as well as to the many freelance musicians and contractors involved," Four Winds executive director David Francis said.
"Many local businesses provide services, accommodation, food and hospitality to our audience members and musicians. Typically, the Four Winds audience spends up to $1million in Bermagui so loss of this economic boost, on top of the catastrophic financial impact of the bushfires will contribute to ongoing challenges local businesses are facing.
"However, we are confident that this is the right decision for the health and wellbeing of all involved in the Festival, even though it will certainly have a significant negative financial impact on Four Winds."
South East Arts executive director Andrew Gray said the news was "devastating".
"It's a double blow now," Mr Gray said.
"What's normally the peak of arts and cultural festivals and events was our hope for recovery for the sector after summer is gone now and we won't really get a chance to recover until spring - we are yet to see what the long term impact will be."
Lake Light Sculpture chairwoman Lisa Matthes said they were "devastated to be unable to deliver what promised to be a wonderful Easter weekend, especially after such a disrupted summer for tourism in this region."
"However, we need to play our part in reducing the spread of COVID-19, the health and wellbeing of our visitors, artists and volunteers is paramount."
Live Performance Australia (LPA) has escalated its calls for the federal government to introduce an "emergency industry support package" to help creatives, workers and organisations stay afloat during the coronavirus crisis.
Chief executive of LPA Evelyn Richardson said the industry needed more clarity around the implementation of the recommendation, and its timeframe. The industry body predicts that across three months, half a billion dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs will be lost.
Richardson said without an arts-specific government stimulus package, "the industry won't survive".
The "I Lost My Gig" (ILMG) Australian site was launched on Saturday afternoon by the Australian Music Industry Network and the Australian Festivals Association after hearing the success of its US counterpart. Industry-wide support for the site helped gain over 2000 responses over the weekend, with the tally of affected event submissions rising by the minute.
"The response has been quite overwhelming. While the figures are astounding, and continue to rise, it's the stories that really paint the picture of what is happening," a spokesperson from ILMG said.
"Many workers from the creative industries live contract to contract, and usually don't have income protection insurance or significant savings. Often people supplement their work with work in the hospitality industry, and that too is suffering from the impacts of the bans. So we're seeing many people losing several streams of income, all at once, with no safety net."
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