In an open letter to NSW and the wider Australian music community, Don't Kill Live Music have announced both a rally and a petition in response to the NSW LNP government's harsh crackdown on festival and licensing regulations.
Read the community group's response in an open letter and find details of the rally and their petition below:
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Dear music lovers,
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Your music is under attack.
Overbearing regulation, exorbitant police bills, a lack of respect for NSW businesses, and very little recognition of the significant positive impacts of music on our communities is forcing music out of NSW. The State Government have declared a war on music and culture in NSW, proclaiming that music, and music festivals are high-risk activities.
Music is being killed off by Premier Berejiklian and the LNP. Festivals are being forced to cancel or move interstate.
The NSW State Government is vilifying live music with knee-jerk regulation (more details here). Instead of consulting with festival experts, the NSW Government imposed punitive regulation that specifically targets music festivals and music fans. Festivals are being used as a scapegoat for years of failed drug and alcohol policy.
We want our music culture to be safe and inclusive. Onerous and ill-considered regulation will not save lives. And the State Government is decimating our music culture in the process.
We demand that the State Government:
- Stops killing live music in NSW
- Forms a music regulation roundtable to review all regulation impacting live music
- Immediately undertakes a Regulatory Impact Statement for any regulation impacting music festivals
- Develops an industry standard with full transparency for user-pays policing and medical services
- Works with the music industry to develop robust, effective and achievable safety protocols for festivals
- Don’t let the Premier Berejiklian and the State Government take music away from you. You deserve better. NSW deserves better.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
RALLY
Come to the Don’t Kill Live Music Rally 6pm – 8pm Thursday Feb 21st, Hyde Park Sydney
RSVP here: Don’t Kill Live Music Rally 2019
PETITION
Sign this petition HERE
Image via Facebook