Chaos for artists over WA border closure

Cancellation and confusion have followed last week's announcement by Premier Mark McGowan.
An oron gate locked by a padlock and chain.

The extended closure of the Western Australian border, while seen by some as a necessary step to protect the state’s population from the worst ravages of the Omicron variant, has nonetheless had a significant impact on the arts sector.

Having previously announced the border would reopen on 5 February, Premier Mark McGowan last week extended the border closure indefinitely, saying it would be ‘reckless and irresponsible,’ to do otherwise.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts