Artist Support Fund eligibility criteria announced
Artists from across the province, belonging to various fields including film, TV, radio, theatre, music, dance, painting, calligraphy, sculpture, technical departments, editing, sound recording, lighting, cinematography, stunt work, and makeup artistry, can apply for the Government-Funded Support announced for their socio-economic patronage.
The eligibility for the fund is 25 years of experience, with less than 35,000 monthly incomes. Moreover, the male artists should be at least 50 years old, and females should be at least 45 years old
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
a few seconds ago
- ABC News
Late former Central Coast mayor Laurie Maher linked to child sex abuse civil claims
The death of an accused paedophile, who had once been a respected community leader, has left behind scores of alleged victims who are suing over historical sexual abuse they say they suffered at a notorious boys' home he once ran on the New South Wales Central Coast. Laurie Maher, 86, was most widely known as a tireless crusader against homelessness and domestic violence, founding what is today one of the largest homelessness charities in NSW — Coast Shelter. Mr Maher served numerous terms on the former Gosford City Council, was mayor for four years and in 2010 awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community. He was never convicted of abuse, but died in May, awaiting a retrial on charges of buggery and indecent assault involving two boys. The charges related to his time as the long-time superintendent of the Mount Penang Training School for Boys near Gosford, where many former detainees claim he sexually abused them during the 1970s and 1980s. Mt Penang was among several state-run reform centres for "troubled" teenage boys who were convicted of varying offences. The ABC is aware of at least 100 civil child sex abuse claims dating back to when Mr Maher ran the Mount Penang Training School for Boys. Allegations about the former superintendent's offending began to surface at the time of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse between 2013 and 2017. The royal commission did not directly examine Mt Penang. However the ABC understands 18 private submissions were received about Laurie Maher, which triggered a police investigation in 2016. Mr Maher was arrested in 2020 and charged with 13 offences against six boys. By the time the case reached a District Court trial in 2022, he stood accused of eight child sex abuse charges involving four boys spanning a 10-year period. He was acquitted of six charges, but the jury was hung on the remaining two and a retrial was set down for September 2025. Mr Maher unsuccessfully sought to halt the retrial in 2024 when he engaged high-profile barrister Margaret Cunneen to seek a permanent stay on proceedings due to his "old age and poor health". Tony, who did not want to use his real name, said it took decades to confront his past experiences at Mount Penang, where he found himself in the late 1980s, after he was caught stealing a car stereo system. He said he was trying to feed and clothe his two younger siblings, who had been living with him in the roof cavity of a small building in Sydney for several years to escape violence at home. At 16, Tony was sent to Mount Penang and placed under the care of Mr Maher, who he said sexually abused him on two separate occasions. Tony alleged he was forced to perform oral sex on the superintendent — the first time he described being "trapped in a shed" with him, while the next time, he recalled being summoned to his office. "My life was ruined from the age of 16 because of him." Tony described living in fear after being told by Mr Maher "to keep his mouth shut", barely sleeping in the large dormitory he shared with about 40 other boys. "You'd hear screaming at night," he recalled. After what he described as a life of homelessness, addiction, insomnia and crippling flashbacks, Tony started to receive the medical and psychological support he needed — and the strength to "speak out" — after accessing community housing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tony successfully sued the state in 2024 over the abuse he suffered while in detention in the late 1980s. In a private statement to the royal commission from a former detainee of various state-run homes, Mount Penang was described "more like a jail than a home [and] the boys who lived there referred to it as 'the Pound'." Lawyer Michelle Martin, who represents almost a dozen former Mount Penang detainees, said one client told her about "being punched and hit and flogged by Laurie Maher." "And Maher burning him with cigarettes," she said. The ABC has confirmed 59 of more than 100 claims across several law firms involving Mr Maher at Mount Penang have been settled against the State of NSW, amounting to millions of dollars paid to clients. As part of the settlement agreements, confidentiality clauses have been attached to compensation details, as is common practice, and the state settled "without admission" of liability. The NSW Department of Communities and Justice declined to respond to written questions from the ABC and denied a Freedom of Information request about the total number of settled claims relating to child sexual abuse allegations at Mount Penang, those naming Laurie Maher, or how much money had so far been paid. In a statement, the department acknowledged it had a duty of care to detainees at Mount Penang to take reasonable care "in the performance of its powers and functions". A Department of Community and Justice spokesperson said the department "acknowledges the impact of abuse" and "respectfully works with victim-survivors and their legal representatives to resolve claims as quickly as possible in a trauma-informed way". They said New South Wales had adopted a "significant number of reforms" over recent decades "to improve child safety in institutional — and other — contexts". The department said it now had a "robust Working with Children Check scheme" as well as carer authorisation screening to ensure those in all child-facing roles "are suitable and do not pose a risk to children". As part of his settlement, Tony insisted on a personal apology from a department official. "I cried for an hour and a half," he recalled. Tony insisted his claim was not about chasing "dirty money", but rather an acknowledgement such abuse should not have happened to him. Personal injury lawyer Alessandra Pettit, who represents institutional abuse survivors, agreed. While the threshold of proof in a civil case was lower than that in a criminal matter, Ms Pettit said there was a "serious amount of work that went into preparing a civil claim properly". "It's really painful [for the complainant/alleged victim]," she said. "Their entire life is put under a microscope and examined." While the criminal case against Laurie Maher was officially closed in July this year, dozens of civil claims filed against the state in relation to his alleged offending continue being processed. For Tony, the success of his legal action has meant his life is "becoming easier". "It took years for my voice to be heard," he said.
ABC News
a few seconds ago
- ABC News
Report reveals increase in isolations at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre at Cavan
A new report has revealed isolations at South Australia's only youth detention centre increased by 50 per cent during a period last year and has questioned the legality of their use, with one respondent saying they felt they were being "punished like a dog". The report into the Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre at Cavan, which was tabled in state parliament last Tuesday, found that some children were 'in effect' being isolated as 'a form of punishment' – despite this being prohibited by the state's youth justice regulations. The report found the number of isolations – both ordered by staff and requested by detainees – increased by 50 per cent over a period in 2024. 'The use of isolation as a routine response to complexity, behavioural risk, or staffing constraints undermines the rehabilitative intent of youth detention and reflects a failure to meet required standards of care,' the report states. 'Children and young people report being locked in their rooms for periods with reduced access to education, exercise, or human connection. 'The psychological impact of being isolated without clear explanation or foreseeable end was raised by children and young people as a source of distress.' The Department of Human Services, which manages the facility, was also accused of 'under-reporting and misclassification' of isolation orders at the facility. The report, which examined records from early and mid-2024, was compiled by Training Centre Visitor Shona Reid, who is legislated to advocate for those detained at Kurlana Tapa. Ms Reid said the investigation was prompted by an increase in requests to her office from children and young people 'who felt that they were 'unfairly' being ordered to isolate in their rooms'. The report found that 'in many cases' isolation was used 'without clear adherence to the required legal grounds' and 'in ways that may be perceived by children and young people as punitive or humiliating'. It said isolation in these circumstances was contrary to SA's Charter of Rights for Youths Detained in Training Centres and had "the potential to breach multiple provisions of international law'. 'Serious questions remain about the lawful authority for a range of isolation practices,' the report states under a headline titled 'unlawful or unregulated use of isolation'. One child reportedly described the experience as being 'punished like a dog and forgotten'. Another reportedly said they feared the system would 'never see them as more than their worst moments'. 'These are not isolated accounts,' the report states. Human Services Minister Nat Cook, asked about the report's claim of unlawful or unregulated isolation practices, said she had 'every confidence that the law and the regulations are being followed'. 'I don't believe that the staff are breaching those rules,' she said. 'They're following procedure and keeping children as safe as they possibly can in this environment where things are often heightened.' Ms Cook said Ms Reid's report was using 'quite a long period of data' during which the state government has made 'a range of procedure and staff changes'. She added that the time children and young people were spending in isolation was 'brief'. 'When we look at last year's data for isolation, the average time that a young person or a child spends in an isolation circumstance is 14 minutes,' she said. 'It's not recurring, it's as isolated as it can be in terms of the event, but it's as supported and as comfortable as it can be as well given the feeling and emotion that's being displayed by a young person.' Asked whether staff were properly explaining to children why they were being put in isolation, Ms Cook said: 'There is absolutely a procedure that's followed.' 'I am very confident in the youth justice team … that they make every attempt possible to ensure that young people are spoken to and spoken with and listened to,' she said. Kurlana Tapa, also known as the Adelaide Youth Training Centre, is SA's only youth detention centre. In 2023-24, it had a daily average population of 32 children and young people. Ms Reid's report examined the frequency of both 'staff-ordered' and 'resident requested' isolations. A resident requested isolation occurs when a young person requests to return to their room outside of scheduled lockdown hours to get away from peers. From the third quarter of 2023-24 to the first quarter of 2024-25, the number of staff ordered isolations increased from 162 to 215. Over the same period, the number of resident requested isolations rose from 31 to 100. Ms Reid said the 50 per cent increase in total isolations likely reflected 'a persistently high reliance on the technique of isolation to create separation from peers, especially during education hours and afternoon shifts'. She said the report found one case where a child had spent six hours in isolation because it overlapped across several different administrative isolation times. 'Whilst administratively they're not considered by the staff or the centre as isolation, they're very real experiences for children,' he said. 'We need to be really careful how we use those, and that is why I'm making those very strong claims that we need to be mindful of the law and our international obligations towards children's rights in these settings.' In response to questions about the lawfulness of its isolation practices, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said isolation is 'considered an acute response to a risk presented by an individual'. 'This may be for example, a proactive response to ensure the safety of one young person from another,' the spokesperson said in a statement. 'Isolation also includes when a young person requests to be in their room, for example if they are unwell and want to sleep. 'Staff must adhere to operational procedures in line with the Regulations when using isolation at Kurlana Tapa, including approval processes, record-keeping and review requirements." The spokesperson added that staff must also 'ensure that young people subject to isolation have access to their rights' under the Charter of Rights for Youths Detained in Training Centres. 'These requirements are reflected in staff training and supervision.' Ms Reid's report makes three recommendations, which include amending legislation to provide 'robust guidance' on the use of isolation as well as greater investment in staff training and IT systems. Ms Cook said the government would respond 'as quickly as we can' to the recommendations, adding that some suggestions were already in train. 'We're very confident that we've already addressed quite a large percentage of those pieces of work that need to go towards fulfilling the recommendations,' she said. 'In terms of making sure that the policy meet the practice, the practice is being delivered as it should be, and children are at the centre of that.'
ABC News
a few seconds ago
- ABC News
Beth Mooney stars with bat and gloves for Manchester Originals in The Hundred
Beth Mooney has followed a moment of wicketkeeping magic with a commanding innings to lead Manchester Originals to a 10-wicket win over Trent Rockets in England's The Hundred competition. Mooney made 47 off 37 balls and Scotland's Kathryn Bryce 61 off 45 as the pair chased down a victory target of 112 with 18 balls to spare in Nottingham. That came after Mooney's quick hands had secured the stumping of Rockets dangerwoman Nat Sciver-Brunt, putting the brakes on the home side's innings. Asked to bat by Mooney on Tuesday, the Rockets had begun solidly, reaching 2-78 with captain Ash Gardner and Sciver-Brunt at the crease and 40 balls remaining. Mooney, who had stumped Nat Wraith (17) from Sophie Ecclestone's first ball, now brought back the England spinner to break the pair. Ecclestone beat the advancing England captain with turn and bounce and Mooney fetched the ball high to her right one-handed before whipping off the bails. Thereafter Rockets failed to fire, scoring 5–33 off those last 40 balls with Gardner (17) caught at mid-on trying to slap Lauren Filer. Heather Graham made eight. Ecclestone finished with 2-12 off 20 balls while Filer, reaching 117kph, took 3-23 off 20 and Bryce 2-19 off 20. The home side's 7-111 looked below par and Mooney and Bryce quickly confirmed that. Neither Alana King (0-24 off 20) nor Gardner (0-28 off 15) were able to repeat Ecclestone's impact Mooney had come into the match off a pair of low scores, and after averaging 21.60 in her five visits to the crease this Hundred. But she hit her third and fourth balls for four, either side of the wicket, then took nine off Gardner's first five-ball set, racing to 18 off 11. With Bryce looking in good touch, the pair reached 59 at the halfway mark, accelerating further with Mooney lifting Australian teammate King for six over long off. King did find her length late on, beating the bat then — off a full toss — dropping a return catch from Mooney. But it was too late. "Pretty clinical in the end, to keep that batting line-up to 111 was an amazing effort from the bowling group," said Mooney. "I joked at the break one big partnership would be enough — I didn't think it would be the first one." Originals moved up to third, which would earn them a place in the eliminator on August 30, while the Rockets' chances of progressing, after one win in five, are slim. AAP
