Licensing Changes Could Take 3-4 Years
News posted Friday, January 29 2010 at 06:00 PM.
Related: Tote.
Industry body Fair Go 4 Live Music (FG4LM) are calling for urgent government action after Minister for Justice and Consumer Affairs Tony Robinson said proposed changes to Victoria’s liquor licensing regulations could take three to four years.
Robinson reportedly made the claims in an hour-long meeting with representatives from FG4LM, The Australia Hotels Association, The Australasian Performing Right Association, Music Victoria, Liberty Victoria and two academic policy experts yesterday. It followed a similar, but unfruitful meeting with Director of Liquor Licensing Sue Maclellan on Wednesday (January 27).
“He [the minister] said it may take three or four years to fix, but he said they were definitely prepared to look at changes,” pub owner and FG4LM representative Jon Perring told M+N.
In the wake of The Tote’s closure last week, FG4LM have called on Maclellan to unlink the playing of "live and amplified music" as the trigger for the high risk compliance conditions including mandatory security levels. But despite Robinson’s positive overtures to the music community, it’s Maclellan’s unwillingness to exercise her powers that’s still the main sticking point, Perring said.
“He [Robinson] reiterated many times that he can’t direct the director of liquor licensing [Maclellan] to address this issue because it’s an independent statutory appointment, so there’s a legal issue about that.”
However, under the statute, the minister can take action to ensure the director of liquor licensing is meeting the objectives of the act. Those objectives include facilitating the diversity of licensed facilities reflecting “community expectations” and ensuring that that risk factors need to be substantiated by a “sound evidence base”.
“I’m concerned about the political will to resolve the issue,” said Perring. “We don’t have three or four years to fix this. People are already losing gigs all over the place.”
Perring said a further meeting with Robinson is planned in the "short term". Meanwhile, musicians including Wally Kempton and Dave Graney and music mogul Michael Gudinski are set to meet with government officials next month.
“It’s looking like a long fight I gotta say. There’s certainly not going to be a quick turnaround … It’s a simple thing to fix, and it’s so logical, but somehow can’t be resolved.”
He urged concerned members of the music community to keep the pressure on their local members.
“The battle’s far from over,” said Perring, “but it’s important to keep the pressure up.”
(Photo by Leah Robertson)
+
The Tote’s 30th birthday celebrations continued with a performance by …
The Tote’s 30th birthday celebrations continued with a performance by …
The Tote’s 30th birthday celebration continued on November 4 with a Ge…
Snout returned to the stage for the first time since 2005 as The Tote’…
Melbourne’s rock community turned out in force last night (July 28) fo…
Seven years in the making, a documentary about the battle to save the …
Geoff Corbett may not be a “heavy drinker with hardcore dependency iss…
– Drones frontman and outdoor pizza oven-maker Gareth Liddiard will pl…
Lost Animal played a 40-minute set list night as part of Melbourne’s P…
And yet, punishing these idiots at the ballot box takes just minutes.
but i like the party's stance on border security. keep those overseas bands overseas!
Go Wally!
Nowhere good enough MacLellan/Robinson - see you later Brumby preferences. Could this issue result in the first ever state Greens government??!! awaits to be told he's dreamin'
To clarify: G, g, g, g, g, g, g, g, g ... Greens-Kreig BOP*!
*Balance of Power
like the man said ''Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out.''
damn. lucky wallys not a communist
three or four years. what rot.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I haven't spoken to Jon, so I don't know the full story but this makes me so angry.
All of the community outcry and uproar about something that is so obvious to everyone (and I don't just mean inner city music fans) - the regulations of the Liquor Licensing regime are happily destroying our culture. All they need to do is make some immediate, sensible changes to their flawed, stupid (as Dave Graney said) attempts to win some sort of tidy town award.
Don't believe all of the Govt spin about how live music venues (and I'm not just talking about their constant bullshit leaks that the Tote is going to reopen - it isn't - they forced it to close and have made it so that no one can work out a way to reopen it) are going to be OK.
If this Govt can't fix what they screwed up so willfully, and fix it up tomorrow, then they have to be removed. I Tote and I vote! After what's gone on, Liquor Licensing should have been dragged across the coals and totally reorganised.
3 - 4 years is beyond outrageous. It's beyond belief.
If you haven't written to the Govt until now, please do it. Tell your local Labor member they will be joining the Tote staff on the dole queue very soon.
Why are we having to fight for something that is so important and so precious to so many people?
Bruce, what are the chances of some official ''I Tote and I Vote'' T-shirts? I'd buy one of those in a heartbeat.
I'll suggest it to Fair Go 4 Live Music.
Trouble is, the Tote is gone. Big Brother won.
I am soooooo angry. I thought the Toe's legacy might be an end to this insanity; a line in the sand.
I thought they had got the message loud and clear. But the dimwits still don't get it.
I have to stop writing cos I'm so angry!!!!
whaaaaat???? Apoplexy fit follows….
from acorns oak trees grow. They are cutting off the feedstock of the music sector. They are sanitising the state - soon the only 'live music' will be that which is sponsored by one of those state government grants - all live music in this state will be government sanctioned and approved.. Is the Victorian government really like all those oppressive regimes we read about in history?
BRING ON THE ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS AND NOISY SPEAKEASIES! (or playeasies i guess is the better term)
i'm starting to believe what bruce said about their hidden agenda. especially given maclellans associations with the labour party, even though she claims to be apolitical.
one person i haven't emailed is the governor of victoria - i can't find his email on the site but will have a proper look tomorrow and email him and ask him whether or not maclellans contract will be renewed, citing reasons why i believe it shouldn't be.
civil uprising i say.
a few thousand people out the front of maclellan's office demanding her to go would be a start.
us musicians have taken for granted what the venues have provided over the years. it's time to repay the favour and stick up for them.
so it takes a couple months to collect the data needed for the 2am lockout, but 3-4 years to fix what is essentially a sentence?!
victoria ... the place to be indeed.
Speakereasies!
go to her boss and quietly ask whether her contract is to be renewed
3-4 years sounds essentially like a death sentence to the venues.
Maybe instead the community can help transition them and their staff into highly illegal speakeasies. that way = no revenues to the government, no repressive regulations, they can play whatever music the community wants, everyone is happy.
121 Exhibition Street, folks, if anyone wants to protest outside her office.
as a left wing voter, i'm very saddened to say this government is very out of touch with the community. it fails to recognise that the bulk of the community supports popular music (not government sanctioned ballet, opera, orchestras etc), and instead of responding to this it is killing it.
the community has voiced it's protest at this draconian regime, and the government response is that it will continue for another 4-5 years.
lindsay tanner, richard wynne, i love you both but the labor party has just lost my vote.
It's a democracy we live in (though it hasn't felt like it to me for the past year).
We have the power to make a choice at the ballot box.
View Comments 20 to 96
We've limited the amount of comments shown in these larger topics to allow for faster viewing, simply click here to load all the missing comments ...
Not sure why you think the Govt or LLV is forcing bands to play 20 min sets.
I can think of plenty of bands when a 20 min set is more than enough.
Name names!
20 mins of Onyas is pure heaven to me.
and extra hour of Macca burning his jocks and doing his belly rolls is a little more than my heart could stand.
Ewww... thanks for the mental image, Bruce.
C'mon, Frankie, that's not as bad as the Chicken Dance one from the other day.
just got another response - this time a letter on official letterhead and coloured paper and coloured ink and all. It's from Robert Doyle and is long, I'll type it all in later but it refers to a policy:
'Melbourne's Policy for a 24 hour city' which was endorsed by council as a framewok for action. tthey want to encourage venues to diversify the entertainment they offer. it says the city of melbourne is monitoring the recent licensing regs and impacts on melbourne as a 24 hour city. they work through the melbourne licensees forum to support them in meeting the regs. It then closes by saying he appreciates me.
so the gist is they don't support early closing hours?
melbourne's policy for a 24 hour city 32 p. pdf
pissface - do we write topical ad hoc questions, or questions on notice? And they're to be sent to members of the opposition? (Barber, O'Brien?)
is this report available online?: KPMG 2008, Evaluation of the Temporary Late Night Entry Declaration, Final Report, Department of Justice, Melbourne.
i have questions for ministers but would like to see that kpmg report first and it appears to be no longer online?
Email the Dept of Justice and see if you can obtain a copy (I suggest you claim it's needed for a university research project - hopefully a sympathetic public servant will just email it to you).
Re the type of question, a question on notice would be useful if you want detailed information (and background) on a particular issue. Eg. If you want the Govt to provide facts and figures on a particular issue (eg. statistics re alcohol related violence related to live music venues) that won't be available immediately.
Ad hoc questions (during question time) are generally used 'trap' Govt ministers - essentially, asking a question that you hope will embarrass the Govt (including forcing them into giving you an answer that'll help your case). A blunt question - ''What plans do you have to ensure the survival of the local live music scene?'' - will force a response, and shouldn't be able to be deflected easily (except via weasle words).
It'd be interesting to ask an ad hoc question that forces Robinson to offer his view on McLellan. Eg. ''Does the Government support the Director's actions in relation to the enforcement of licensing conditions on live music venues, including where such enforcement leads to the closure of venues that have no history of alcohol-related violence?''
thankyou - yes there's a couple re maclellan in there!
fyi i reckon melbourne has more signatures on it's petition than paris
The whole 3-4 years thing is a farce. This is not something that needs to go through Parliament to change - it's an admin issue that could be resolved at the stroke of a pen from the Director of LLV.
re: petition. Online petitions are great but physical petitions are legally what's needed to give to Parlimentary reps. If you haven't signed the petition that Fair Go 4 Live Music was circulating at the Tote rally, hopefully there will be more petitions available to sign in record stores and venues soon.
There is a petition at the Retreat in Brunswick -on the bar. Make sure you get down and sign it, especially if you're a local! If for some reason you can't see it, ask the lovely bar staff.
A motion, brought by the Liberal party brought forward to Vic Parliament last night about live music venues was defeated 18 votes to 17.
The Greens abstained from voting or from making amendments and then voting in favor.
Their votes would have seen the motion carried.
Given the Greens supposed support of live music in Victoria, I'm a little surprised that they haven't been able to sit with the Libs and produce a motion that reflects their position.
yep as mentioned here. the greens stance is weird. may be because the liberals didn't suggest an alternative. but tomorrow morning i'll email my list of parliamentary questions (once OKd by someone) to o'brien.
can the petitions be signed by people in other states?
Sorry, missed that post.
I believe the Libs would be very happy to find a compromise with the Greens.
But a compromise needs both parties to want it to happen.
no worries. i have no idea about how parliament works, but have emailed Greg.Barber@parliament.vic.gov.au to see if he can explain why the greens abstained. i'm sure someone closer to the situation has already done this too. xx