Industry Calls For Clarity Around Vic Venue Restrictions: 'Confusion Reigns Supreme'

Victorian live music venues are calling for clarity around the state's impending restrictions changes. 

Speaking with The Music, Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC) executive general manager Craig Spann venue operators are still unclear as to what impact yesterday's restriction announcement will have on them. 

"I've been talking to a lot of people in Victoria in the last 24 hours and confusion reigns supreme yet again," Spann told The Music today. 

"There is a lack of clarity around this announcement as to what it actually means, what defines an entertainment venue and the discussions I’ve had today - just in a meeting with 20 venues from around Victoria but predominantly Melbourne - is the announcement this week actually does not change anything at all. That they’re still operating under 1 [person] per 2 square metres, which as it stands right now is unsustainable. 

"What ALMBC is asking for is purely a better working relationship with the states so before announcements are made around venue capacities and the like, they actually have a conversation with us as an industry to iron out the details and to work on really clear communication because as of this morning people are very confused. 

"We need certainty, we can’t operate at a level where people aren’t exactly sure how this impacts on them." 

According to a statement released by the Victorian State Government yesterday, "additional people will also be allowed in indoor non-seated entertainment venues with an increase from 50 per cent to 75 per cent capacity however, the limit of 1000 people per space remains. Dancefloors will move to the same density limit of the venue and the 50 patron cap will also be removed" while "density limits in venues still operating under more restrictive settings – like casinos, karaoke venues and nightclubs – will move from 1 person per 4sqm to 1 person per 2sqm" in line with cafes, pubs and restaurants.

"My understanding is that the nuts and bolts venues - The Tote, The Corner, all those venues - the capacity has not changed off the back of yesterday’s announcement," continued Spann. 

"That’s my understanding and feedback I’m getting from Victorian venues. 

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"The reality we’re facing now is JobKeeper goes this week so that’s a done deal. What we need is for venues to get back to a sustainable level of profitability because that then flows on. 

"We’re all talking about venues but there’s all these people that are employed off the back of live music - tour managers, technicians, agents, sound men and women, crew, technical from companies - so we can talk all day about venues, but we also need to understand all those other people that are impacted by this and I don’t think it’s too much to ask for governments to actually work more closely with us when it’s there policy that’s effectively restricting our ability to trade. 

In addition to further consultation between state governments and industry, Spann and ALMBC would like to see venue capacities increased to "a minimum capacity of 75%". 

"Ideally we’d like to go to 100% but we are very conscious - and I don’t want to gloss over the fact that we are very aware of the public health priorities here, and the music industry, I think, has done an incredible job of hibernating for the last 12 months - but we’re now at a point where there is zero community transmission. We have 75,000 people at the MCG, so obviously the concern around community transmission is, I wouldn’t say non-existent, but it’s not where it was. 

"Why indoor venues are subject to this kind of restriction is getting very difficult to understand." 

Find out more about ALMBC and their work here.