Darwin Festival board sacked, event to go ahead

Image: The Northern Territory Arts Minister blasted the festival for booking expensive names like Peter Garrett

The management of Darwin Festival has been sacked, while the 18-day event begins on August 4 as scheduled under new administrator Hendri Mentz, of auditors Deloitte.

Speaking on 1057 ABC Darwin, Mentz said he had met with the NT Chief Minister Adam Giles and Arts Minister Gary Higgins and could confirm the 2016 program will continue.

“The Government has committed to financially supporting the deliver of the full planned festival for this financial year,” Mentz revealed. “It does not only entail bringing forward the current funding that is committed, it will mean additional funding that they have committed to.”

He added, “We’ve got highly committed people, highly committed to deliver the best possible festival for the people in Darwin … that will be the aim, we’ll get the festival delivered with the current staff in place.”

The board, which was headed by former Labor Chief Minister ClareMartin, was sacked by the Territory’s Director-General of Licensing.

Tensions have risen between the board and the Government this year. The festival lost $342,906 in 2015, with a report by auditors Deloitte suggesting mismanagement. The board argued the shortfall was due to rising production costs and falling sponsorship revenue.

This year’s festival is expected to lose $400,000 and has asked the Territory government for an extra $450,000 to stage in 2016. Earlier in the week, Minister Higgins announced on radio he was “extremely annoyed” that the likes of Peter Garrett were booked rather than more NT acts, and why six more staff had been employed during the duration of the festival when the required $350,000 had not been allocated for their wages.

Earlier this week Martin threatened that the 2016 festival would be cancelledunless the Government coughed up the $450,000. “Very sadly it is not an exaggeration,” she said. “Unless we have that cash in the next few days we can’t pay the artists’ contracts and simply we will be in an insolvent position.”