Police Minister Backtracks Over ‘The Music Industry Is Dead’ Comment

The New South Wales Police Minister Michael Gallacher has backtracked over a comment he made proclaiming the music industry dead, saying that it was “sarcasm” taken out of context.

While the controversial Sydney lockout laws were being rushed through both houses yesterday, Gallacher, who is also the Minister for Emergency Services, told a parliamentary debate, “I'm sorry, but the live music industry is dead!

"And you only have to look at the '70s and '80s to see how prolific it was right across the pub scene. The places were packed to the rafters to go and listen to the music and not packed to the rafters for the grog.”

Today a spokesperson for the Minister told theMusic.com.au that the comments were made in the heat of the debate, and that a 16-second audio snippet of the minister had been taken out of context.

“Hansard doesn't adequately translate sarcasm in the middle of a parliamentary debate,” the spokesperson said. “The Minister grew up enjoying the live music scene and is frustrated that so many venues have ditched live music stages in favour of pokie rooms.”

In questions to the 52-year-old Liberal politician, theMusic asked whether he was aware of the Ernst & Young report that found the music industry added $1.21 billion into the national economy and supported almost 15,000 jobs annually.

“The Minister knows how important live music is to the economy and believes that these new measures will target those individuals that are destroying a night on the town for others,” the spokesperson said.

“We want to see more people venture out and enjoy the entertainment that is on offer and to do this people have to feel safe.”

The two bills rushed through the upper and lower houses yesterday have dominated the Sydney music industry's discussions all this week and in the wake of the establishment of the Sydney Late Night Culture Alliance the Minister's comments had angered industry stakeholders.

Regulations implementing a 1.30am lockout, 3am cessation of alcohol service and the 10pm closure of bottle shops will be brought in before the end of April, while an eight-year mandatory sentence for alcohol-fuelled assaults ending in a fatality will begin this weekend.

Listen to the audio of the Minister here: