Indigenous Australians and First Nations people from around the world are being offered an 80 per cent discount under a new concession launched by some of Australia’s most best known cultural institutions.
The ‘Mob Tix’ concession has been launched by Australia’s elite ballet, musical, arts, cultural and sporting bodies and institutions.
No proof of eligibility is required to claim the discount – which is on offer to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Māori, Pasifika and First Nations people from other countries – but guests’ race and ethnicity will be kept confidential.
The Australian has revealed the Sydney Opera House, Australian Ballet, National Gallery of Australia, both Sydney and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, Sydney Fringe Festival, Australian Open and music festivals are offering the Mob Tix discount.
The Australian Ballet reportedly introduced the discount scheme earlier this year, and writes on the company website that it was done “to create opportunities and accessibility for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities” to attend performances.
Meanwhile, the National Gallery of Australia is promoting Mob Tix discounts for the first time, offering First Nations people cheaper $16 tickets ahead of its major summer exhibition of works by Indigenous artist Emily Kame Kngwarreye.
A spokeswoman for the gallery told The Australian the tickets were similar to what was on offer “by other performing arts organisations and venues across Australia” and had no connection to the Voice to Parliament vote on October 14.
The Sydney Opera House has offered Mob Tix for a number of its events since September 2.
A statement on the Opera House website said it introduced Mob Tix in a bid to continue millennia of Indigenous people traditions of “gathering and belonging” on the land where the iconic venue stands.
“The Opera House carries on this legacy by embracing and celebrating the culture of Australia’s First Peoples. And we believe that Art should be accessible for all,” the website reads.
Mob Tix allows First Nations people to attend select events for up to $25 – up to $199 less than the cost of some “Premium” tickets.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra introduced its own Mob Tix scheme in March – with discounts up to 30 per cent.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra is also offering heavily discounted tickets for some performances.
Mob Tix for the almost sold-out performance by Western Australian band Birds of Tokyo at the end of this month are being offered for just $13 – when “Premium” seats cost $129.
While tickets to see internationally-renowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter performing the music of John Williams in November have been cut from $145 for stall seats to $15 for Mob Tix.
Sydney Fringe Festival, meanwhile, is advertising Mob Tix – dubbed “DEADLY TIX” on its website – to create “more opportunities and accessibility for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other First Nations communities to have a fringeing good time!”
“Reducing financial barriers is essential because it acknowledges the existing gap in access to arts for Indigenous Australians,” a statement on the festival’s website reads.
“Without the participation of First Nations people in our audiences, we wouldn’t be staying true to our principles or providing platforms for their voices to guide us.
“Our hope for the future is to see barriers dismantled, making programs like Deadly Tix obsolete. We’re devoted to removing access barriers and ensuring The Sydney Fringe becomes a space where everyone can unite in the celebration of arts and culture.”
When asked by The Australian the festival could not provide data showing an increase in diverse audiences or higher attendance by Indigenous Australians and First Nations people through the Mob Tix scheme.
Revelations of the discounted ticket offer has caused a stir among a number of commentators, including Sky News Australia host James Macpherson, who accused the scheme of being “racist”
“By choosing not to say you’re Indigenous, you actually help to subsidise tickets for Indigenous people,” he said on Monday.
“Isn’t this a little bit racist, simply implying that people would go if they get discounts?”
Macpherson’s guest Liz Storer was even more incensed by the discount, saying despite it being “for the disadvantaged” it was now making people “over-advantaged”.
“You’re put above the rest. You’ve got to pay less, or next to nothing for the exact same thing that everybody else has to go out of pocket for,” she said.
“This idea that if they don’t get it cheap they won’t go at all, isn’t that rather condescending.”
Prominent Indigenous activist and No campaigner Warren Mundine said the “bizarre” idea was nothing more than a “box-ticking exercise”.
“I don’t like this idea of diversity. It’s bizarre. You’ve got to have a bigger picture. I don’t know if this is going to help or make any difference. I don’t get the point of it,” Mr Mundine told The Australian.
He said although he had no problem with “targeting Indigenous people to come to the opera”, if they wanted real inclusion they should open the institutions to a “larger audience” outside of the inner-city crowd.
“It should be more structured and targeted in the way they’re doing it,” he said. It would be good if you had audiences that you tried to target.”
“The target should be opening up these institutions to a larger audience in places like western Sydney and other places like that. That would make a difference.”