Minns Government Rejects Calls To Defund The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

The NSW Minns Government has rejected the Opposition’s calls to defund the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade and called on the state’s Liberal Party leadership to reverse their position.

The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has played an essential role in the city’s culture and community since its launch Down Under 48 years ago.

It’s become a pivotal event that celebrates Sydney’s diverse community and is a key driver of tourism. At last year’s event, the annual Parade amassed more than 30,000 non-residential visitors and injected over $39 million into the NSW visitor economy.

The Opposition’s call to have the Parade defunded comes just days after the cancellation of the official Mardi Gras After Party, a decision the Chief Executive of Mardi Gras, Jesse Matheson, said wasn’t made lightly and was confirmed “following two years of significant financial loss.”

Opposition Whip in the New South Wales Legislative Council and Shadow Minister for the Arts, Chris Rath, today claimed that Mardi Gras has been “hijacked by left-wing extremists” who allegedly use their positions to “import foreign conflicts” into Sydney.

Rath continued, “We call on the NSW Government to review its funding commitment to Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras and ensure that the organisation operates in line with the broader community expectation and in the best interests of Sydney and NSW.”

The Minns Labor Government has insisted that it will not defund this year’s Mardi Gras or the annual Parade.

The NSW Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, and Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe, described the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras as an annual celebration of queer joy, with reflections on activism and debate.

“I don't know what's happened to the Opposition today, I think there's been a bit of a brain explosion,” Sharpe added.

“To suggest that the New South Wales Government should review its funding commitment to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras based on a group of people who do not represent all of the board, or indeed all of the membership of Mardi Gras, is an extraordinary step. It's an extraordinary, disappointing step from the Liberal Party.

“The Mardi Gras is an inclusive parade, but it's also a festival that challenges us to do better, and to ask the question and answer the question about how there can be a place for every single person in New South Wales, no matter what their sexuality and no matter what their gender is, and that is what's so important.”

The NSW Minister for the Arts, John Graham, detailed the long-running event’s “significant cultural role” not just for the state, but for Australia, before stating that the Minns Labor Government “rejects” the Opposition’s call to defund Mardi Gras.

“The Minns Labor Government rejects a call to review the funding commitment – we will not defund the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. We will not cancel the Mardi Gras Parade,” Graham said. “To do so would be devastating to Sydney’s reputation around the world. I call on the Leader of the Opposition to reverse this position.”

The NSW Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper, concluded that the Minns Government is “proud” to once again support the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade.

“Our ongoing support reflects the Parade’s important role in celebrating diversity and community, but also its significant contribution to the NSW visitor economy,” Kamper explained.

"Locals and visitors alike flock to Sydney for Mardi Gras; to defund it would be illogical and would have disastrous impacts on the local nightlife and hospitality."

The 48th annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival will take place from Friday, 13 February, to Sunday, 1 March, and follow the theme “Ecstatica.”