PM Presents Midnight Oil with Support Act Award for Excellence in the Community

Music charity Support Act’s longest-running fundraising event, Music In The House, returned after a two-year hiatus at The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney on the 23rd of August.

Leaders from across the music industry and beyond attended the sold-out event in celebration of the charity’s 25th anniversary, including the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, and the Hon Tony Burke MP, Minister for the Arts.

Music legends Midnight Oil were honoured with the prestigious Excellence in the Community Award for their incredible contribution to music, the community and activism in support of the environment, nuclear non-proliferation, Indigenous rights and much more. The award was presented by the Prime Minister.

Midnight Oil said:“Music workers in particular, and arts workers in general, face all sorts of urgent challenges after being largely unable to ply their trade due to the pandemic. Support Act provides important help to the needy in that community, so we were very pleased to lend a hand to their lifesaving fundraising efforts. We call on governments at all levels to urgently put real money behind the people who create Australian culture and to provide more support for the tens of thousands of people who are employed in the creative industries.”

Hosted by presenter Zan Rowe, the night featured stunning acoustic performances of Midnight Oil classics by William Barton and Veronique Serret, Olympia, All Our Exes Live In Texas and Dave Faulkner.

 
Clive MIller, CEO of Support Act, added: “Midnight Oil are one of the greatest bands in Australian music history. Their output over 45 years has been characterised by outstanding musicianship and unwavering principles, and their influence on our thinking in relation to Indigenous rights and the environment has been felt by hundreds of thousands of people here and around the world. It was an honour and a privilege to celebrate them tonight, as they prepare to perform their final shows over the coming weeks. It was also a wonderful opportunity to reflect and celebrate the past 25 years of Support Act, and to acknowledge the many inspirational people who have been part of our journey so far.”

A highlight of the celebration was a raffle and online auction of Midnight Oil memorabilia, which included a specially-created Fender® Vintera® ’50s Telecaster® wrapped in a custom print of Midnight Oil’s 10-1 album artwork and signed by the band, the actual surfboard used to promote the Scream In Blue live album, watercolour prints of the band at sound check by artist Christabel Blackman, some rare band vinyl and highly sought after tickets to the last shows of the band’s final tour, which sold out in minutes earlier this week.

The auction and raffle, which featured rare paintings from Troy Cassar-Daley,  a studio monitor and headphone set from Sennheiser, a production consul from RØDE and tickets to some amazing concerts, raised $100k for the charity, which will go towards helping music workers in need through its crisis relief, mental health and wellbeing programs, and Wellbeing Helpline.

Music In The House was created in 2006 as an opportunity for Support Act to recognise someone in Australian music for their musicianship and their broader contribution to the community.

Over the past 16 years, the event has celebrated many wonderful Australian artists including Paul Kelly, Tina Arena and Archie Roach, featured heartfelt and moving testimony from their peers regarding their influence and impact on their lives, and raised thousands of dollars for music workers doing it tough.

For further information on Support Act and Music In The House, visit supportact.org.au.