More entertainment precincts in inner city Melbourne and through the state. Automatic opening hours until 3am without the “onerous” process to apply to trade past 1am.
A $4 million funding package for pubs. Dogs allowed in venues. Victorian music given priority in all State Government advertising.
These are some of the promises made by Victoria’s Labor Government if it is returned to power in November.
"Pubs know what they are doing, and these are common sense decisions to let them get on with business," Premier Ben Carroll said, at the launch at the London Tavern in Richmond.
Creative Industries Minister Vicki Ward related: “From the small pub gig to the all-ages show, live music is where Victorians love to come together – and venues deserve the confidence to keep bringing us those moments, not held up with a maze of red tape holding them back.
"We back venues to do what they do best to create the shared experiences that connect us, support local jobs, and keep Victoria's live music scene Australia’s number one."
The $4 million package is divided into two. $2.5 million goes into the Live Gigs Fund to support venues to stage shows, including all-ages gigs.
The other $1.5 million is to identify and activate underused spaces for live music and the arts, including in former industrial areas.
A Live Music Desk will provide a central point of coordination for venues dealing with planning, licensing, and permit requirements across multiple government agencies and councils.
This would help venue owners navigate the tangled nightmare of rules and regulations, and avoid the need for duplication.
Venues applying for a standard liquor licence will only have to wait for six weeks instead of 11. Those with a strong compliance history can apply for multi-year licences.
Younger people can enter the hospitality sector. Current rules are staffers have to be 18 and over to pour, sell or serve alcohol. Labor’s proposal is to allow under-18s to start by clearing tables.
Defending Themselves
The entertainment precincts will be set up in inner city suburbs such as Fitzroy and Collingwood, and regional/outer cities like Geelong and Ballarat to protect venues from noise complaints.
In a significant move, the Government will turn the table on developers. They will have to demonstrate their case, rather than venues forced to defend themselves and be put on notice due to a single complaint.
It’s no secret some developers encourage residents to complain, so they can buy up cheap from harassed venue owners.
“It gives venues more certainty”, according to Justin Stanford, owner of the 500-capacity The Night Cat in Fitzroy which in its 30 years helped the likes of The Cat Empire, Amyl & The Sniffers, and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at the starting gate.
Stanford has fought off three noise complaints initiated by developers in the last ten years. Last April, one building a residential and commercial complex took the venue to VCAT (Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal) to revoke its planning permit citing noise concerns.
The club had to come up with $60,000 courtesy of a crowd funding campaign to sound proof the venue within a few days. If he hadn’t compiled, he said at the time, he would have been jailed for contempt of court.
As a result of the saga, Yarra Council moved to protect music venues by changing the rules where developers had to pay for soundproofing that a venue had to do.
NSW also moved to alleviate the problem. There are nine Special Entertainment Precincts throughout the state which have shown to spark up nightlife and increase jobs, with over 20 councils currently working at establishing them.
Another major change will allow dogs in the premises. Labor will amend the Food Act 1984 to overturn the ban of dogs inside pubs.
Premier Carroll told media at the launch: “All over Europe, pubs have been pet-friendly for years, decades in fact. When you come to a pub that’s pet-friendly, everyone benefits.”
Labor will consult with the hospitality sector to clarify whether the pooches are allowed in all areas, especially where food is served. The final call will be made by the pub operator.
Are we ready for pubs to host dog-friendly festivals such as Woofstock with acts such as 3 Dog Night, The Dingoes, and Snoop Dogg?
Labor will also prioritise the use of Victorian music and acts in government advertising. It would “provide additional opportunities and exposure for local artists while potentially reducing advertising music costs.”
Responses
Music Victoria has applauded Labor commitment and challenged other parties to also rise up.
The association responded, “The announcement responds to key priorities raised through the Vote Victorian Music campaign. We now call on all parties to match this commitment and back Victoria's music community.”
Music Victoria noted that the Government proposals reflected what itself had already recommended – not only through Vote Victorian Music but the Victorian Music Assembly and last week’s announcement of a funding package for regional Victoria covering touring grants, festival support, and local venue activation.
Its CEO Fiona Duncan pointed out there was more to be done.
“This commitment is a crucial milestone, but government grant rounds and planning reforms alone cannot fix structural industry pressures.
“The next crucial leap is establishing a legislated 1% stadium ticket levy to power a permanent Victorian Music Trust that’s free from the vulnerability of election cycles.
“When international superstars fill our stadiums, a fraction of that revenue needs to be directed back into Victorian venues, artists, and the grassroots ecosystem that supports them.”
Music Victoria has also called for an expansion of investment in Victorian music and artists, a push to build careers, skills and audiences across the state; and “Protect and grow the places where music happens.”
In addition: “Victoria's live music sector is a vital cultural, social and economic asset.
“However, artists, venues, promoters, music businesses and audiences continue to face significant challenges from rising costs, regulatory complexity and increasing pressure on the places where music happens.
“Today's announcement demonstrates that these issues are being heard. The Victorian music sector is a $3.55 billion industry – all political parties should back it in.”
The Victorian chapter of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) also applauded the news. Its CEO Paddy O’Sullivan told Australian Hotelier it was “a sign of faith from the Government towards Victoria’s publicans in being able to manage the late-night environment.
“But with that goes responsibilities by Victoria’s publicans to ensure pubs operate in a safe way, abide by RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) arrangements and make sure that this decision today will enhance the community rather than create issues that need to be managed.”
He was particularly effusive about the cutting of red tape. “This will allow a streamlined process for the granting of new licences, but also the transfer of an existing licence to an incoming publican, and this is most welcoming by the pub industry here in Victoria.”
O’Sullivan expressed to Australian Hotelier that the exact framework as to where dogs will be allowed into pubs is still to be worked out (eg. in public bars, but not in dining rooms or bistro areas). But he called it a “good news outcome”.
There are over 687 stand-alone pubs in Victoria, according to Rentech Digital.
Breaking it down, the 2025 Victorian Live Music Venues Audit showed there were 2,441 live music venues. 45% or 1,109 were in regional Victoria, 40% or 964 were in metropolitan Melbourne, and 15% or 368 were in outer metropolitan Melbourne.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
