The local Torquay Performing Arts Community’s Working Group proposal to Surf Coast Shire was heard and then essentially dismissed by Council in favour of a long term plan for a creative arts precinct. The $64,800 put on the draft 2019/2020 Council budget proposes a “feasibility study” (heard that before?) to use the “mirror” technique. What does that mean? It means they will “look into it”.
Delays and prevarications like this are yet another poke in the eye to the creative, artistic, dynamic and culturally aware community in Torquay and surrounds who have no place for their performances, rehearsals, workshops or a venue for touring companies, musicians, performance artists, comedians, presenters and aspiring actors to practice what’s important to them.
TTT called for a campaign for its supporters to contact local Councillors and Federal government representatives. Dozens of people sent emails, called them by phone and engaged with them in public forums to put the case of cultural spaces to balance the huge investment in sporting facilities that has been made over the last thirty years. If a small proportion of the millions of dollars spent on clubrooms, sporting fields, sports organisation subsidy and sporting facilities were dedicated to performance arts, a whole new avenue of activity for a whole range of non-sporting people could have been made available.
Keep contacting your representatives. The Federal Election is only a week away and we need to send a message. Details are here.