Legislative Council Electronic Petition
The Petition of certain citizens of the State of Victoria draws to the attention of the Legislative Council that Victoria’s famous music scene is on the brink of collapse and there is no relief in sight. We are calling on the Government to step in and save our proud music culture by preserving the venues where artists play. Live music means mass gatherings and it will be many months before our state’s music venues can safely reopen doors at viable capacities. In the meantime, our venues are being crippled by mounting debt including rent, mortgage payments, bills and insurance and without Government intervention, many of these venues will be forced to close their doors permanently. This will have a devastating effect on Victoria’s creative economy and cultural heritage. Music is a cornerstone of Victoria’s identity as the ‘creative state’. This is something we are known for around the world and it is a huge economic driver. Melbourne has more music venues per capita than any other city in the world. The 700 music venues across Victoria host approximately 100,000 gigs a year, with an estimated economic impact of $1.42 billion generated from live music, clubs and festivals. Melbourne’s music venues have an audience of 112,000 every Saturday night, more than an AFL Grand Final. Music venues are the critical infrastructure of the live music industry and they cannot survive without intervention from the Victorian Government. At exactly the time when more local stages are needed to support Australian artists, we will lose them. If we lose these venues, we will lose opportunities for artists and Melbourne’s iconic music scene. The petitioners therefore request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to work with Music Victoria to develop a package of needs-based financial assistance to protect small to mid-size enterprise music venues until they are able to trade sustainably, put in place a clear and balanced roadmap to reopen at full capacity and provide a fund to support the relaunching of the industry when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
By Ms PATTEN (Northern Metropolitan) (15 690 signatures).
Laid on table.
