The party is heading North.
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After months of speculation, the state government this week committed to funding Mona Foma’s journey up the Midland Highway, to Launceston.
The summer festival from Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art tested the Northern waters this past January, with a one-off block party.
This party was also bankrolled by the government – a $1 million investment that brought an economic return of $46 million. Not a bad business decision at all.
Now, the government has committed to gifting $5 million to organisers, to bring the entire event to Launceston for the next three years.
If one is to apply the same maths to the $1 million investment, that’s a lot of zeros.
When money is funded to social and cultural events, like sport and arts, there is always criticism.
The criticism ramps up around MONA and its events, Dark Mofo and Mofo, just because that is the by-design nature of David Walsh’s creation.
“Why can’t this money be spent on our health system?”
“We need more teachers.”
“People are living in poverty, and we’re spending money on a concert/sporting game/festival?”
These concerns are all valid. They are all issues that plague our state, and our population.
But we can’t put all our money into solutions. We have to create a future for ourselves, too.
And a lot of that future hangs on creating a state or city that people want to visit, want to live in, and want to invest in.
To make money, you have to spend money. And if we are getting $45 million back for every $1 million we spend, that’s an investment in our health system, our teachers, and our people.
Just as people question the benefits of supporting Hawthorn to use UTAS Stadium as its second home ground, people will and do question the benefits of events such as Mofo.
The answers to those questions are obvious. Tasmania’s branding is strengthened, its profile lifted, and its stock given a boost through such partnerships.
Whether you can see the direct link or not, the benefits are all around us.
It is these sorts of partnerships that help to make Launceston the best city that it can be.
