NSW Just Got One Step Closer To Easing Restrictions On Live Music Venues

New South Wales is one step closer to easing restrictions on local artists and live music venues across the state.

Labor NSW's Right To Play Music Bill - which looks to "tackle liquor licence conditions imposing arbitrary bans and restrictions on live music" and "grants local councils the ability to remove such restrictions from their development consents" - was passed by the NSW Legislative Council on Wednesday night.

"Our music venues and performers are fighting for their survival and this is one step towards ensuring they can keep entertaining the public right across NSW,” Shadow Minister for Music and The Night Time Economy, John Graham, said.

“Labor’s view is that it is not the Government’s role to ban music, or to tell people what genre of music to listen to.

“This is about removing the red tape for our musicians across all communities. It’s about creating jobs, hope and a plan for the future.”

The news comes after the launch of the Save Our Stages NSW campaign which is calling for "immediate support" from the State Government to help devise a plan to ensure the "ongoing survival" of the industry throughout the state as Australia emerges from the COVID crisis.

Venues who have backed the campaign include Enmore Theatre, Factory Theatre, Oxford Art Factory and Crowbar.

Appearing in Parliament last month, Century Venues Chief Operating Officer Sam Nardo, who runs venues such as Enmore Theatre, Factory Theatre, Metro Theatre and Max Watt’s, stated that if something doesn’t change in the next six-nine months 85% of venues will go under.

“It is inevitable. There are many factors as to why that's the case,” Nardo said.

The Bill is expected to be debated in the Lower House next week. The Government has not supported the Bill so far, voting against it in the Upper House.