Shebeen Owner Rejects Claims His Not-For-Profit Business Has Not Made Donations

Co-founder of Melbourne's Shebeen Bandroom, Simon Griffiths, has rejected claims that his not-for-profit business has not been donating money to charities as promised, following the announcement that the venue will be closing down at the end of this month. 

According to a statement released yesterday by the Manchester Lane venue, $10,000 has been donated to Rotary "as a precursor", which will then be distributed to individual charities. 

"Over the past year, the business model became unviable as greater restrictions were placed on our operations and we lost a considerable amount of money," Griffiths said. 

"I have been paying staff and supplier costs out of my own pocket and unfortunately we’ve not been able to make recent donations as a result."

Griffiths says the legitimacy of their donations can be provided through an independent accountant or auditor. 

"There is a complete paper trail of all donations and the business’ operations, which we are willing to provide to authorised financial and legal entities," he said. 

Following "extreme pressure" from regulatory bodies, the Shebeen will be forced to close its doors permanently on 25 June. 

12 months ago the Melbourne East Police Station, who share a wall with the bandroom, made a noise complaint about the venue which caught the attention of the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR).

Speaking to theMusic earlier this week, Griffiths said that the noise complaints "triggered" a larger issue with the VCGLR.

"The part of the operation that the VCGLR took issue with was different to the noise issue which was the primary issue for the police," he said.

"It’s not that there’s conflicting reports or misinformation, but more around where VCGLR chose to take issue from a non-compliance perspective."