The promoters of local bush rave, The Shiny Disco Ball, have called off the event when it was supposed to kick off today, claiming that police have forced them to shut it down.
In a statement posted to Facebook earlier today, the promoter said, "Australian Federal Police have backed us into a corner where the consequences of going ahead involve risks which we cannot take, both for the safety of attendees, as well as legal ramifications".
Names such as Earthling, Dark Nebula, Tom Cosm and Phsiris were booked to perform at the three-day event set to go down "near Sydney and Canberra", which promoters say was all ready to get underway today.
"After several visits to the site and several attempts at addressing all of their concerns, police have made it clear that if the event does go ahead, they will do their best to shut it down, citing potential violations which would give the grounds to do so," the post continues.
"They have explained that despite us having event insurance, [sic] first aid, security, event permits for the venue, approval from the relevant governing event bodies, and extensive risk management plans in place, if anything were to go wrong at the event, i.e. somebody being injured, this would likely lead to legal ramifications, fines, and possible jail time for the property owner, us as organisers, and contractors involved in the event.
"We have produced emergency documents, complied with all requests, and had also asked for a meeting with emergency services prior to the event, but to no avail."
See the full statement here.
The Music has contacted police for further clarification.
