Labor Moves To Scrap NSW Festival Regulations

UPDATE: A number of Australian music industry bodies have thrown their support behind Labor’s bid to scrap NSW’s controversial festival regulations.

A statement issued by the Australian Festival Association, which included support from Live Performance Australia, Music NSW and the Association of Artist Managers, said the music industry applaud Labor's motion.

“We applaud Labor's delivery on its promise to move a disallowance motion to enable proper industry consultation on measures to improve safety at music festivals and ensure a bright and sustainable future for music festivals in NSW,” the statement reads.

“The industry want to sit down with the NSW Government and develop a more workable and sensible regulatory approach to safety at festivals. The Government has again been presented with the opportunity to properly consult with industry groups and festival organisers on safety issues.

“If Premier Berejiklian is serious about festival safety, she will acknowledge the original regulations were rushed through without industry consultation and only achieved a dramatic increase in costs to festival organisers and fans and forced the cancellation or relocation of events without delivering a meaningful safety improvement.

“Music festivals are a vital contributor to the economic and cultural vibrancy of NSW, especially in regional and rural areas. The Premier now has another opportunity to get it right on festival safety. The live music industry also calls on all members of the Upper House to support the motion.”

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The Berejiklian Government's music festival regulations have come under scrutiny again with the NSW Labor Opposition moving a disallowance motion. 

Labor’s Shadow Minister for Music, John Graham, moved the motion in the NSW Legislative Council last week with the hopes of repealing the State Government’s new regulations.

Following industry concerns, the move also comes as the NSW Government makes changes to the list of festivals deemed "high risk". Following an inquiry from the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority, Days Like This, Up Down, and This That festivals will no longer be placed in the category, however, others are expected to be added in the near future.

The Labor Opposition said the move was to encourage the Government to "go back to the drawing board, consult with the festival industry and return with a regulatory regime that has been worked through collaboratively with industry".

“We are calling on the Government to scrap this current approach and start again," Graham said. 

"They should go back to the drawing board, consult with the festival industry and come back with a regulatory regime that has been worked through collaboratively with industry.

“I call on Minister Dominello to do what his predecessor failed to do, and meet with the industry.

"Festival safety issues are simply too important for government and industry not to work together.”

The Australian Festival Association slammed the regulations when they were announced in February, saying the whole matter had been a "fiasco" and the government selected festivals "without assessment guidelines, and only alerted the festival organisers by SMS last night just before announcing the news via a late-night press release".