Sydney And Melbourne Receive New Live Event Funding And Regulations

A number of new regulatory updates and funding grants have been made for Sydney and Melbourne respectively, with the states live entertainment sectors to benefit substantially from the new governmental additions.

In NSW, Shadow Minister For Music John Graham unveiled the new laws that would allow musicians the use of loading zones in and around venues for packing of instruments and equipments for gigs. The loading zone rules were updated to include musicians, who were previously fined for using the parking areas loading in and out.

New regulations were also put in place to amend wording of festivals in the parliamentary Festivals Act bill of 2019, wherein the phrase "high risk" will no longer be used. The phrase has long been criticised by festival operators, who argue that the wording is damaging and misleading (particularly when referencing perceived narcotics use at events).

Finally, the bill was also amended to extend trading hours for entertainment venues. Initially allowing an addition 30 minutes to trading, the bill now has been updated to one hour, with the changes coming into place across NSW.

"We would like a city and a State with music at its core, where music is far more a part of what we do in New South Wales," Graham said while addressing Parliament.

"That is important from a cultural point of view, and it is also a major economic driver. When we talk about the arts, music is far and away the biggest of any arts sector. It stands a chance of being a major export for New South Wales. There are only three countries that export music: the US, the UK and Sweden. We want Australia and New South Wales to be among those jurisdictions. That is our vision, but it requires turning around the liquor and planning systems to drive that change. That is where we want to head."

Meanwhile in Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews announced a funding boost to the live entertainment scene in Melbourne - with an additional $230 Million set to be injected back into the industry.

"It covers gigs at the pub, concerts, festivals, and means more good jobs in the industry for Victorians," Andrews wrote online.

"For music lovers it means your favourite festivals will be up and running again, and you'll be able to book your tickets with confidence - and for industry, you'll be protected whether your shows goes ahead or not."

Andrews continued,  "In an Australian first, we'll rollout interruption insurance to music festivals, conferences and sporting events - giving them the confidence to plan and hold future events, here in Victoria.  It'll start as a 12 month pilot, insuring up to $230 million of events, against events cancelled because of public health measures, or because of reduced capacity due to restrictions."

The Premier added, "to make sure our state is filled with gigs and festivals for the months of summer and longer - we'll work with musicians and industry crews to set up events throughout Melbourne's laneways and public spaces, as well as towns throughout the state."