Federal Minister and former Midnight Oil frontman, Peter Garrett has officially announced the New South Wales Labor Party’s Labor Loves Live Music campaign, which seeks to resolve the tension between live music venues and residents in night economy zones in order to promote the growth of live music instead of stifling it.
Garrett and music campaigner John Wardle hope that this policy will be a significant issue for local candidates with the September 8 elections fast approaching. This campaign also demonstrates that live music is quickly becoming a political topic of significant interest.
Mr Garrett said this campaign is needed to support young artists who want to make a career out of music.
“We urgently need strong live music venues they have helped launch the careers of some of our most talented musicians and artists such as You Am I, Cloud Control, Bluejuice and Boy and Bear,” Mr Garrett said.
“Our city should have heaps of places available for musicians of all genres to play. Even in a digital world, being on a stage in front of an audience is essential for most musicians to express their craft and build an audience, and of course make a living.”
“Unfortunately over-regulation is killing our live music venues and to see great institutions suffer is very upsetting like the Annandale, which has long been an incubator of the music industry.”??Labor is putting forward a package of changes that is urgently needed at the local government level to ensure that live music is able to continue to thrive in NSW.
Labor councillors and local government candidates are fighting for:
- Planning controls that protect venues from vexatious complaints, particularly from residents that move into neighbourhoods where music venues have long existed
- The introduction of a “Good Neighbour” policy to allow mediation and negotiation between residents and venues as an alternative to costly legal battles
- Changes to the NSW Government¹s planning laws to require better building standards in areas with music venues.
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