'Urgent' Calls To Prepare For Return Of Festivals By Allowing Artists To Travel

NSW Labor has called for "bold action" from the Government to prepare for the return of music festivals. 

The push comes after a review of the music festival regulations passed last year found no breaches and calls for changes to the regulations, including an objective test for which festivals are regulated and the removal of the ‘high risk’ designation for regulated festivals.

“This is a great result. The fact that zero breaches have occurred since these regulations is proof that government and industry working together is the way to keep festivals safe," Labor’s Shadow Minister for Music, John Graham, said.

“Once this government stopped it’s war on music, festivals have been safer.

“The central issue now is how to rebuild a sector devastated by the COVID crisis.

“We are calling for bold action to support festivals once they are safe to return. Three steps the government could take include:

• Using the planning system to allow outdoor events to occur more easily, which allows greater social distancing;
• The urgent development of protocols for touring artists to travel, quarantine if necessary and tour, including to New Zealand
• Specific financial assistance to the music sector, including festivals, as has been the case in states other than NSW.

“This review shows that we now have the regulations in place in NSW to allow this to happen far more safely than in the past.

“In particular the establishment of the festival roundtable was a victory for common sense.”

It is believed that music festivals could restart in NSW as early as August.