NSW Government Strikes Against Festivals Again - Refuses To Support Industry Roundtable

UPDATE: The Australian Festival Association has expressed its disappointment at the Government's refusal to accept key amendments to the Music Festival Bill. 

General Manager, Julia Robinson, has released a statement saying, “After genuinely offering to work with the Government to develop safer regulations for over a year, to no avail, our members are holding steadfast on the request to secure a formal mechanism for consultation through legislating for a roundtable. 

“If Minister Dominello is committed to a roundtable, there should be no issue with this being included in this new legislation to give the industry more assurance. Had this amendment been accepted, we would be writing an agenda by now instead of another press release. 

“We have proven our effectiveness in collaborating with Government on the widely-praised NSW Health Guidelines. The same dedication would go into working on better regulation in the interests of our shared goal of safer festivals and a thriving industry."

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Following yesterday's warning that major players in the Australian festival scene would have to "consider their future in NSW" due to the retabled Music Festival Bill, the NSW Government has voted down a key amendment in Parliament this morning that would prioritise industry consultation. 

The Opposition amendment sought to establish a legislated industry roundtable to monitor safety at festivals. 

Meeting at least four times a year, the roundtable would reportedly be tasked with growing the industry, supporting safety at festivals and reviewing evidence and regulation to ensure it is operating effectively. 

In Parliament this morning, Minister Victor Dominello said the Government would look to establish an "informal roundtable which would not be legislated".

Now the amendment has been rejected, the bill will be put before the Legislative Council in mid-November.

In response to the move, Live Performance Australia’s Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson, said, ‘’Industry has been calling for meaningful consultation since September 2018, when the Premier refused to include industry representatives on the Music Festivals Expert Panel."

“We were disappointed to hear Minister Dominello emphatically oppose the proposed amendment to include industry consultation, even after stating during the debate that he is committed to a ‘genuine dialogue’," she continued.

“If the government is serious about ‘genuine dialogue’ it will ensure an industry roundtable is established that brings together government and industry representatives in a formal process and that this is enshrined in the legislation. 

“Given the urgency in the Government’s communications around this Bill we are surprised the Government has delayed a vote for this Bill in the Legislative Council until mid-November. However, this presents a good opportunity for the Government to sit down and work with industry, as recommended by the recent Legislation Council Regulation Committee Inquiry.

“The industry’s aim has always been to work with government to develop a more workable regulatory framework for improving safety at festivals. The draft legislation in its current form is unworkable. However, we believe the proposed amendments would get us one step closer to a genuine dialogue and go a long way to ensuring that music festivals can thrive and continue to deliver cultural, economic and tourism benefits across the state."

“Government can’t fix this alone,” John Graham, Shadow Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy, added.

“The Minister said the Opposition might as well legislate to have ‘tea and scones’ served at the roundtable. We’re simply insisting on one thing, that the Government work with the industry.”

“Music fans in NSW risk missing out on seeing their favourite artists if the Premier stubbornly refuses to agree to a roundtable in this bill.”

"This legislation has been rushed through on the premise of patron safety, but the requirements are far less sophisticated than what festivals are already doing or what local councils and emergency services require," Strawberry Fields Festival said in a statement yesterday in response to the rushed legislation. 

"Shouldn’t we also be waiting to hear the expert opinion of the yearlong coronial inquest into safety at festivals due in early November?"

Splendour In The Grass and Falls Festival also put the call out on social media, urging patrons to contact their local MP and "tell them to legislate a Music Festival Roundtable".