Vic Minister Fires Back At Live Music Lobby Group

Victorian Planning Minister Matthew Guy has fired back at live music lobby group SLAM following a stunning attack in which they say they’ve “lost faith” in him.

Melbourne industry in crisis

• Venues "terrified"
• An industry group that's "lost faith"
• A Minister who's "very disappointed"

The Victorian music scene has enjoyed a cautious optimism this year thanks to the Minister’s pledge to ‘save live music’ in parliament. It has been widely hoped that the state government would approve reforms to protect venues through the agent of change principle – giving existing venues precedence over new development from things like noise complaints – although no specific reforms have been tabled.

"We’ve been patient with the government and this Minister For Planning – but no longer"

— SLAM

Melbourne music industry lobby group SLAM [Save Live Australia’s Music] have now gone on the attack, saying that nothing has come of meetings held between themselves and the Minister in January and February this year.

“The Minister promised to ‘work over the summer period’,” SLAM’s Helen Marcou said. “We’re now in deep winter and still the government has delivered nothing.

“In the seven months since that promise to parliament, the Minister For Planning has failed to deliver. We’ve been patient with the government and this Minister For Planning – but no longer.”

Peak contemporary music industry body Music Victoria have been working with the government to develop reforms and today CEO Patrick Donovan told theMusic.com.au that they had been invited by the Minister’s office to review that latest proposal from the Department Of Planning. The meeting is due to take place 9am this Friday.

He said that the industry was reaching a “crisis point” regarding agent of change laws and was hopeful that this week’s meeting will finalise the promised reforms.

"I'm very disappointed at comments in the press and on social media made by SLAM"

— Minister Guy

“We’re getting calls every two day from terrified venues, with developments going up next door [to them],” he said.

“This is very complex and covers different levels of law – it has to cascade through planning, environment, state, local… but the music industry has been waiting ten years for this.”

Today Minister Guy (pictured left) told theMusic.com.au in a statement that he was discouraged in the SLAM statement and that their ‘negative’ approach was not helping the industry.

“I'm very disappointed at comments in the press and on social media made by SLAM today and I urge them to do the right thing by their stakeholders and comment more positively about the actions the government has been taking,” the Minister said.

“We are working on reforms that will respond to challenges the industry is facing and ensure important issues such as housing affordability and building standards are responsibly addressed.

“I've been working with [Planning Minister Ryan] Smith and [Liquor & Gaming Minister Edward] O'Donohue and we have an appropriate process in place through which we are working with groups such as Music Victoria and SLAM to reach this outcome shortly.”

The Minister added that Victorian Premier Denis Napthine’s Liberal Government – which opened up the door to all age gigs again through Minister O’Donohue – is still “committed to Victoria's live music industry across all government portfolios, specifically planning, building and environment areas.”

However Marcou and SLAM – who may attend Friday’s vital meeting – say that the government has ‘failed’ the scene, by allowing developments to go ahead without considering agent of change.

"We’re getting calls every two day from terrified venues"

— Music Victoria

“The planning system has an important role to play in protecting new development from existing noise, but the system is continually failing new residents and the music community and all of this has happened under Matthew Guy’s watch,” she said.

“Overall, the music industry has a pretty good working relationship with the state government, including the deregulation of all ages gigs, and the penning of the Live Music Practice Guide, but not with this Minister for Planning. He’s smooth with words but short on action. He’s letting everyone down – the music industry, the music loving public, residents, and he’s embarrassing his Ministerial colleagues.”