Funding Announced For Vic Venues Amid Extended Lockdown

Victorian hospitality venues have been thrown a financial lifeline following the state’s recent lockdown extension.

The State Government has today announced a further $282.5 million in support to businesses, with an additional $4,200 available for eligible Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund recipients.

Meanwhile, a new round of Live Performance Support programs has been confirmed, with funding of up to $7,000 for presenters and up to $2,000 for suppliers available.

The funding announcement follows on from news earlier today that City of Yarra event Leaps & Bounds had been “put on hold indefinitely”, resulting in over 100 gigs that would have employed more than 1,500 artists, producers, technicians and event staff being postponed.

“We thought we were getting out of this mess… I didn’t see this [lockdown] coming,” Brunswick Ballroom booker Mary Mihelakos, who had organised Fitzroyalty for Leaps & Bounds, told The Music.

“Venues are haemorrhaging and the worst part of it is, we went through this last year and we thought we were out of it, so it’s just such a massive blow to be back here again when we thought we were through the worst of it.

“It actually puts the future of these events at risk.”

For more details on the newly announced funding, click here.