Macy Gray's Australian Tour Launch Postponed Amid Arts Centre Melbourne Strike

9 September 2026 1:18 PM

Arts Centre Melbourne staff will walk off the job over pay and conditions this week, with Macy Gray’s Australian tour kick-off caught up in the middle of the action.

Macy Gray(Credit: Giuliano Bekor)

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The first date of American singer Macy Gray’s upcoming Australian tour has been postponed by a month, with planned strike action by the venue disrupting the event.

Gray was scheduled to launch her run of Australian dates on Friday, September 11th at Hamer Hall in Melbourne. The venue is itself part of the larger Arts Centre Melbourne, whose workers say they’re planning to walk off the job for 24 hours in a dispute over pay, working conditions, and funding for the arts sector by the Government.

As Limelight reports, the forthcoming action – which is scheduled to take effect from 12:01am on Friday, September 11th, and will include a picket line launching outside Hamer Hall at 3:30pm followed by a rally at 6pm – will reportedly not only affect Gray’s performance, but also a presentation of of GRIMM by the Brisbane theatre company Shake & Stir.

While a spokesperson for Arts Centre Melbourne initially told The Age that there had “been no change to scheduled performances,” Ticketek then updated their event page to list the event as being postponed.

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Arts Centre Melbourne, when reached for comment, confirmed the postponement of the show.

“As a result of protected industrial action (a 24-hour stop work) by CPSU, MEAA and ETU union members at Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday, three performances have been cancelled or postponed, including Macy Gray Live at Hamer Hall,” a spokesperson stated.

“We respect the right of workers to take protected industrial action, and we're working closely with our team and unions to progress a new enterprise agreement. We have contacted ticket holders directly and thank them for their patience."

While Gray is now set to launch her Australian tour in Adelaide on Saturday, September 12th, the initial Melbourne show has been moved to a new role as the tour closer instead. Now, it will instead be taking place at Hamer Hall on Tuesday, October 13th.

Previously purchased tickets to the postponed event remain valid for the new date, while tickets to the October 13th show – and other stops on Gray's tour – are on sale now.

The forthcoming strike is not the first action undertaken by members of the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance (MEAA) and colleagues from the Community & Public Sector Union (CPSU), with a previous action including a 30-minute delay of a performance of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra earlier this month.

“Workers are at a point where they simply can’t afford to accept another agreement that leaves them falling behind,” MEAA Deputy Chief Executive, Adam Portelli, was quoted as saying.

“Without proper funding, Arts Centre Melbourne cannot continue delivering the high-quality experiences Victorian audiences expect.”