Major Festivals To "Consider Their Future In NSW" After Talks With Govt Breaks Down

Splendour In The Grass, Laneway and Falls Festival are just a few of Australia's live music events that will "consider their future in NSW" following a meeting with Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello on Monday.

As Sydney Morning Herald reports, the Australian Festival Association (AFA), made up by some of the Australian music industry's leading figures and festival promoters including Splendour and Falls' Jessica Ducrou, Laneway's Danny Rogers and Listen Out's Adelle Robinson, and Live Performance Australia met with Dominello to discuss a draft legislation for safety concerns for the upcoming festival season which has been deemed "unworkable".

It comes only a week after the NSW Government retabled a bill regarding festival license changes in the state despite the NSW Upper House voting to disallow the changes late last month.

"There are other states outside NSW that are willing to better support our business," Rogers said.

"We may be left with no choice but to consider our options."

Robinson added, "Yet again, last week we saw new legislation for music festivals introduced by this government without any consultation".

The meeting with Dominello came after some of the biggest organisations in the Australian music industry issued an open letter to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, which urged her to arrange an industry roundtable "immediately".

Live Performance Australia’s Chief Executive, Evelyn Richardson, said in a statement today, ‘’The industry has, since February, repeatedly called for establishment of an industry roundtable to work together to ensure safety at music festivals for all patrons.

"While Minister Dominello confirmed at a meeting with us that he will during the second reading of the draft Bill publicly commit to ongoing industry consultation, it was made clear that this would only occur after the legislation was passed, with no industry input.

“We believe the government needs to commit to establishing an industry roundtable that would bring together representatives of the festivals and live music sector together with government representatives from tourism, police, health, liquor and gaming, and the arts to ensure there is ongoing formal consultation in the short and long-term."

The Music has contacted the AFA for further comment.