Arts funding: Guy Sebastian defends himself after Scott Morrison appearance

Australian musician Guy Sebastian has defended himself following online backlash to his appearance alongside the Prime Minister during a $250 million arts funding announcement in Sydney today. The pop singer flanked Mr Morrison at a theatre in Rooty Hill on Thursday to announce a $250 million package aimed at creating jobs, however his appearance was met with backlash on social media and ‘Guy Sebastian’ quickly became the top trending topic in Australia. “Guy Sebastian just got political – and for me – he’s on the wrong side,” one Twitter user said. One of the major criticisms of Sebastian’s support for the package was that the successful mainstream star doesn’t represent the struggling artists that need help from the government. “Definition of Canberra bubble – Morrison thinks Guy Sebastian represents struggling musicians, producers, roadies, venue owners, hospitality staff,” another user said. Sebastian defended himself following the outcry saying he joined Mr Morrison to “provide perspective of the deep seeded economic hardship that has crippled the entertainment industry due to the COVID pandemic”. “The whole industry from tech crew to musicians and all those that consult to the entertainment community are in serious need of stimulus,” he said. “The objective of my involvement today, is to support my colleagues and industry at large. I am a musician not a politician.” Media personalities Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Ben Fordham were among those to defend Sebastian. “Twitter is a sewer, full of anonymous people who don’t have the guts to actually say anything upfront,” Kennerley said. “Guy has gone from small town musician to a big star so he has been on both ends of it. Just because he is successful, does not eliminate him from knowing what it is like to try and make a living in the business.” Fordham added: “I feel sorry for people who try to drag down decent people to make themselves feel better about being a loser. We shouldn’t give too much attention to sad keyboard cowards with nothing going on in their lives. Nobody does more for charity and support emerging artists than Guy Sebastian. He was there alongside the PM to help the industry get back on its feet. What have these muppets ever done to help anyone? They’re lost socks in the laundromat of life.” Many Daily Telegraph readers also leapt to Sebastian’s defence, saying the outcry is another example of cancel culture getting out of hand. “What don’t the left like about someone representing the Arts and performers generally who is talented, articulate and a genuinely nice person? What would they have rather done? Have a bunch of no-hoper, can’t make a quid out of their non existent talents represent them and just whinge?” one commenter said. “Well done to Guy Sebastian, we need more like him,” another commenter said. “If social media cancels something, it sounds like something we should all support. So let’s support Guy. Let’s support Colonial Brewing. Let’s support our country!” another said. During the announcement, Mr Morrison said Sebastian “likes to sing” but also “loves to create jobs”. A mixture of grants and loans, Mr Morrison said the support would help get major shows like Harry Potter and Hamilton running once restrictions ease, which will have a flow on effect to thousands of people employed in the creative industry. “The vast majority of people are working in this sector, and businesses, as we heard, effectively their revenue has gone to zero,” he said. “And the only thing that gets those jobs stood up again is the production starting again, and so whether it’s Harry Potter down in Melbourne, or Hamilton coming (to Sydney) or any of these sorts of big productions … we will see, you know, tens, hundreds of thousands of people (back in jobs).” Mr Morrison said the assistance was designed to get people back into jobs and the “show back on the road”. “This is about building back, this is not just about providing ongoing support, this is about getting the show back up and running,” he said. Australia’s creative sector employs more than 600,000 people and injects $112 billion into the economy a year. The JobMaker package includes a $75 million fund whereby production and event businesses can receive up to $2 million to stage festivals, concerts and tours as restrictions ease. And major international movie studios would also get incentives to film in Australia once borders reopen, with tax offsets a possibility. The federal government will also guarantee insurance for TV and film production by creating a $50 million Temporary Interruption Fund. The support package also includes $90 million in cheap loans for creative businesses trying to restart. A further $35 million will also be handed to major government-funded art organisations. A Creative Economy Taskforce will be established to advise the government on how to target the cash and other supports. Mr Morrison said he would ask National Cabinet to develop a clear timetable for easing restrictions after entertainment businesses had told him they didn’t have confidence to start planning events for 2021. “We can’t go, stop, go, stop, go, we can’t flick the light on and off … that would be very difficult for the artists, the producers who are bringing together productions to have that uncertainty hanging over them,” he said. Opera Australia rising star soprano Stacey Alleaume said any support for her hard hit industry was welcome. She has not been on stage this year, with her lead in La Traviata cancelled. She did not qualify for JobKeeper because much of her income was earned overseas last year. “I think it’s really wonderful (the government) has finally made a package to support the arts and entertainment industry.”