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The pandemic has had a fearful impact on the arts and arts companies in particular. Opera Australia has not been spared from this financial maelstrom. In March, members of the opera and ballet orchestra, along with others, were stood down. The orchestra members courageously agreed to slash their wages by 50 per cent.
The federal government's JobKeeper program kicked in to provide a valuable incentive for these employees to be retained, the very point of the scheme.
Members of the orchestra of Opera Australia performing with their instruments outside the offices of Opera Australia in March to call on the company to reconsider its decision to stand down musicians without pay. Credit:Louise Kennerley
Rory Jeffes, Opera Australia’s chief executive, said at the time: “It has taken this company decades to assemble the calibre of people we have. We are determined to keep them."
Now has come the devastating news that the company, despite its earlier promise, has decided to axe 25 per cent of its permanent workforce and tear up the contracts of many others. These horrific cuts extend to 16 valued members of the orchestra, including a number of principal and associate principal players.