Hello supporters of WA Comedy and Comedy fans,

As you know we (WA Comedy) like to focus our efforts on producing hilarious comedy events and providing a platform for WA Comedians, but we feel that the time is right to publicly share how under supported the comedy genre has been in Western Australia relative to other art forms (for decades!).

*Please note: comedy is Stand-up - but it extends to Improv, skits, podcasts, film, musical comedy, literature, ads etc etc

We tried doing this diplomatically behind the scenes over the past few years, contacting The WA Minister for Arts, WA Minister for Tourism's Office, Tourism WA and even the Premier of WA - but our concerns are largely ignored and not properly addressed.

But we want to give them all the opportunity to step up and do what's right. We have seen that when it comes to other arts genre's like WA music, they have the capacity to do good. This isn't a complex issue, it can be easily solved with a dedicated funding pool specifically for comedy in WA.

So we're taking it public and as fans of WA Comedy and comedy - we would appreciate your support in this matter. We understand that no one likes a complainer in Western Australia - and all we are asking for is a fair go for our WA Comedy Industry like other arts genre's in WA.

Most people will be attendees of our comedy events and other comedy events produced by our industry peers - so the critique is not directed at you. We know the people of Western Australia support WA Comedians and comedy in general! (One of the biggest things you can do to help is share this petition on social media.)

What we need to change in Western Australia, is the State Government institutions and decision-makers who are choosing to ignore the comedy genre.

10 ways Comedy is overlooked in Western Australia

1.) No Department of Local Government, Sports and Culture (DLGSC is just the WA State Government) funding streams specific to comedy, unlike other genres like music which was recently pledged the following record amounts:

• $1.2 million per annum for the Contemporary Music Fund
• $750,000 for WA Music to promote live music
• $125,000 per annum for four years to support WA Music’s flagship event – WA Music Week 
• It comes off the back of an announcement in mid-last year of a new two-year funding arrangement for WA Music of $500,000 per annum.

Please note: we are not saying don't fund live music in WA with the above amounts, merely highlighting how one arts genre is specifically allocated millions. We understand comedy is a smaller genre but believe it should be proportionately funded and supported based on its size/potential for growth.

March 2025 update: We would also like to add that a representative from WAM (WA music) has been kind enough to offer advice and support to our cause.

April 2025 update: we have been informed that a small amount of $40,000 was allocated to a project that involves comedy as part of  WA State Election Funding. Whilst we welcome the support and believe the recipient will do a good job. Its a tiny fraction of what our entire industry requires.

2.) No live comedy is included in the Perth Festival despite programming nearly all other major art forms, and the festival is being funded a record amount of $9.5 million dollars from Lotterywest which is owned by the State Government.

March 2025 update: We have communicated with Perth Festival about the need for more comedy programming in the future, and they were very open to the idea.

3.) Tourism WA (A WA State Government department) recently funded the Perth Comedy Festival which is run by a Sydney organization and features a majority of talent from outside WA - meaning nearly all box office sales leave the state (this would be less of a problem if the WA Comedy industry was also funded to balance things out - which it is not). Please note: we are not saying don't fund PCF. 

But Tourism WA should be supporting its own WA comedy talent and WA Comedy producers aswell.

4.) WA Comedy Week (A festival designed by us to exclusively promote WA Comedy talent) was rejected for funding 3 times in 2022 by the DLGSC. The fact we then staged this event successfully 3 times from 2022-2025, shows they didn't have a proper grasp of the WA Comedy Industry and support from WA audiences. The DLGSC's lack of funding support made it far more difficult than it needed to be and limited our ability to deliver this project to its full potential.

If WA music can have platforms like WA Music Week. Why can't WA Comedy have a similar platform for its industry funded/supported?

5.) Comedy is one of the least funded arts genres by the DLGSC for the past few decades relative to other art forms.

6.) When WA Comedy is covered by WA media it is regularly downplayed as something much smaller than it is. The WA Comedy scene per capita is massive, well produced, and brimming with talent that can match it with the best in the country.

This is likely an example of cultural cringe at play - where things from outside of our state are valued higher than the things developed within our state. We forgive you, but try and do better!

7.) Comedy is not included in the WA Performing Arts Awards despite covering: theatre, dance, musicals, opera and cabaret.

March 2025 update: a representative has confirmed they are willing to discuss if Comedy could be included in the future.

8.) No comedy is included in the annual WA Day Program, despite programming a variety of other arts genre's as part of the entertainment

9.) Think of all the advertising campaigns produced across all mediums by WA brands and how many don’t use comedy or humor. 

10.) Consider all the TV and Film productions in Western Australia and how many of them don't feature comedy or cast comedy talent.

The above lack of support, goes a long way to explaining why so many of our top WA comedy talent over the years have been forced to move to Melbourne, Sydney, and London for opportunities. 

What do we want for comedy in Western Australia?

A dedicated DLGSC funding pool specifically for comedy (the total amount calculated based on the size of the genre) which could be used for the following:

1.) Metro, Regional and Interstate touring support for WA Comedians/Producers

2.) Professional development (workshops, writing rooms, and seminars)

3.) Marketing and promotional support to promote live comedy in WA

4.) Annual funding for WA Comedy Week and initiatives from other WA comedy operators that further develop WA Comedians and the industry

5.) Venue hire reduction for state-run venues for comedy producers and performers

6.) Production support funding to enhance the presentation of Comedy events in WA e.g. staging, sound, lighting etc

This was a lot of information to get through and we hope that we don't have to send anything like this out EVER again! We much prefer just putting on comedy shows and making you laugh!

But we are happy this can now be publicly discussed with the hope we can start to rectify it. For any media or stakeholders - I am available for interviews or to discuss this matter further: ronan@wacomedy.com