New Report Outlines Crisis Faced By Australia’s Live Performance Crews

A new report has outlined the precarious position which Australia’s live performance crews find themselves in, with an alarming number of respondents sharing startling insights into their employment conditions.

The report, titled Issues Facing Crew Workers In Australia, was compiled by writer, journalist, researcher, creative producer and social commentator Dr Ben Eltham on behalf of CrewCare. Sponsored by Winarch Live, the report aimed to shine a light on those who help keep Australia’s cultural activities running smoothly, and explore the issues that bubble under the surface.

With close to 300 responses from industry workers around the country, questions were asked relating to themes of health, membership, employment, career, work-life balance, WHS, and finances, with the aim being to paint a clearer picture of the working conditions faced by those in Australia’s live sector.

Most notably, the findings state that 29% say they were currently considering leaving their job for a different role or industry, with low wages and work-life balance cited as the reason. Additionally, 47% say they rely on income from outside the industry to make ends meet, and 45% said they were working excessive hours, with 53% claiming their working hours prevented a healthy work-life balance

Further findings see 57% of respondents reporting obstacles to finding more work within the industry, with a majority of those respondents citing a “lack of training” or “lack of opportunity” as the reason. Half also agreed that there were “blockages” to advancing their career, with 24% naming lack of training and experience.

The report also outlined a rather worrying state of affairs for the country’s live performance crews, with 52% noting there aren’t adequate resources available to support them in their career progression, and 30% stating they did not feel they were able to raise issues or concerns with their employer.

Furthermore, physical and mental health are topics of concern, with 22% stating they don’t manage their physical health well, with 23% responding the same for mental health. Additionally, 5% claimed they did not have access to sufficient food, or food of an adequate quality, to meet their needs.

Meanwhile, other concerns facing respondents relate to discrimination and a lack of diversity within the workforce, especially for women and non-binary workers. (72.6% of those who responded identified as male, 22.3% as female, 3.1% non-binary, and the remaining 2.1% preferred not to say.)

"The survey results show that Live Music workers need more support,” noted Dr Eltham. “Survey respondents said they face significant issues in their workplace. Work-life balance is a major issue, as is career development and access to training. Three in ten workers we surveyed want to leave the industry.

"Crew are the lifeblood of the arts and entertainment sector: without them, the show would literally not go on,” he added. “But conditions for cultural workers in Australia aren't great. The work is often insecure and precarious, and can also be dangerous. If we want Australian culture to stay sustainable, we need major improvements to working conditions for artists and crew alike.

"Organisations like CrewCare that help cultural workers help themselves are vital. But we also need governments to step up and improve policy settings for Australian culture across the board."

“This report confirms what we’ve long known – crew are the backbone of live entertainment, yet they continue to face excessive hours, job insecurity, and income ceilings that limit their earning potential,” said CrewCare Director, Matthew Jens.

“These findings highlight the urgent need for industry wide change. CrewCare is using these insights to sharpen our strategy and push for real, lasting improvements. The time for action is now.”

Notably, while the music industry is still continuing to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the nascent report found that while the industry is still yet to return to full health, fewer skilled workers appeared to be leaving the industry for other sectors.

The full Issues Facing Crew Workers In Australia report is available to read here.