News February 14, 2019

LPA pens open letter asking NSW Premier to stop rushed festival regulations

Image: Dave Court

The saga of the NSW Government vs. the live music scene has continued to rage on, with Live Performance Australia pleading for a halt to “rushed regulations”.

The cancellation of Mountain Sounds over the weekend has undoubtedly been an incredibly contentious topic amongst music fans, with organisers blaming the NSW Government of hitting them with “excessive costs, additional licensing conditions” and numerous other roadblocks.

While Premier Gladys Berejiklian appears unwilling to listen to organisers of festivals in New South Wales, the Don’t Kill Live Music initiative has recently sprung up, urging music-lovers to band together to save their music scene.

Now Australia’s live music industry peak body, Live Performance Australia, have shared their opinion on the matter, penning an open letter to the NSW Premier to plead for a pause to “rushed new regulations” affecting the industry thanks to the new Music Festival licensing scheme.

“The festivals industry needs certainty and confidence about the government’s expectations” the LPA wrote. “The process to date has been ad hoc and poorly handled – leading to confusion and uncertainty among festival organisers. There are still many unanswered questions.”

“We are asking you to pause the implementation of new licensing requirements until there has been a proper consultation involving all industry bodies and key stakeholders i.e. music festival owners, regulators, medical experts, emergency services and law enforcement agencies.”

“We can’t rely on the ad hoc assurances given through media in response to representations from a festival operator which have further confused the situation.”

LPA has released the following open letter to the NSW Premier, in response to growing industry push back to the licensing requirements for music festivals in NSW. Please share amongst your colleagues to show your support. Read the letter here: https://t.co/gWQdoetUG8 #auspol

— Live Performance Aus (@LivePerfAust) February 14, 2019

“The best safety outcomes will be achieved by the government working with industry on policies and procedures that are effective and transparent,” they continued. “Not through poorly designed regulations that are imposed without consultation.”

“The Government must work with the industry – not against it. We are ready to help through a properly managed consultation process, but the current arrangements must be shelved, and any new arrangements developed and implemented properly.”

This open letter comes only days after the LPA wrote another open letter on their website, noting that the State Government are threatening the demise of some of the world’s best festivals.

“Can you contemplate an Australian festival scene without Bluesfest?” asked LPA Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson, referring to Bluesfest’s claims that new policies will force the festival out of its home state. “What about the flow-on effects for the local economy and the live music industry across Australia?”

While the Don’t Kill Live Music rally is set to take place at Sydney’s Hyde Park next week, Victorian Premier Martin Foley recently shared a post on social media which saw him accuse the Liberals of trying “desperately to kill live music in NSW.”

Likewise, Canberra duo Peking Duk also shared a message to their followers recently, motivating music-lovers to head to the polls next month to vote the current government out. However, we’ve still got a while to go before we see what the future of NSW’s live music scene is going to be.