20 February 2019

Tuggeranong's community party set to be bigger with Government boost

| Ian Bushnell
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Southfest organisers with local politicians Gai Brodtmann, Senator David Smith and Joy Burch in the the Anketell Street laneways area in the Tuggeranong Town Centre that is transformed for the festival. Photo: Supplied.

Tuggeranong’s annual community celebration, Southfest, has received a welcome boost from the ACT Government, and will be bigger and better this year.

The Government announced today that it would increase financial support for Southfest 2019, with a grant of $15,000 for the Tuggeranong Community Council to help host the free community event.

It says the increased support recognises the success of the event in its inaugural year last November, when Southfest 2018 attracted about 15,000 people who enjoyed street stalls, buskers and various performances.

“Local events such as Southfest are great for local businesses and contribute to community pride, and I’m delighted that the Government can continue playing a role in the event as it grows into the future,” Minister for Arts and Cultural Events Gordon Ramsay said.

“I want to thank local MLA Joy Burch who advocated for the Government to continue our support for the Southfest event, as well as the work of the Community Council who host the festival. I look forward to hearing more about the program for the Festival over the coming months.”

Local MLA Joy Burch said Tuggeranong was a wonderful community. “It’s important to have the opportunity to come together to celebrate and showcase our local community, that’s why securing funding for Southfest 2019 was so important to me and the organisers of Southfest,” she said.

Tuggeranong Community Council Chair Glenys Patulny, said the Council was delighted with the financial support from the Government, saying that it would enable the organising team to grow this year’s event.

The Southfest organising team, led by local Taryn Langdon, works closely with community groups such as the Tuggeranong Arts Centre, the YWCA (Youth Services in the Tuggeranong Valley) and Communities@Work.

“The success of Southfest 2018 was in no small part based on the strong connections with local community groups and businesses, and showcasing what the Tuggeranong and Lanyon communities have to offer. The strong interest already for Southfest 2019 shows this investment will ensure it’s a great success,” Ms Patulny said.

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According to the last ACT Budget LGBTIQ got $2.6 million in grants funding, including $400k to celebrate the event. I don’t want a cent of this funding taken away and I think it is money well spent on our community members.

But surely the ACT Government can find more than $15k for the 85 thousand residents of Tuggeranong. That’s about 60 cents per Tuggeranong resident and a pretty lame effort by Mr Barr to support the lone entertainment event in Tuggeranong.

Good news. But $15k is pretty paltry compared to other ACT government funding for activities.

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