A new petition is calling on the New South Wales government to adopt Victorian-style laws to protect Sydney live music venues from the scourge of noise complaints, which have imperilled multiple venues around the state in recent years.
The petition was organised by Sydney musician Siobhan Poynton, who would like to see NSW mimic Victoria’s much-lauded Agent Of Change laws, which were introduced back in September 2014 to protect longstanding venues from new developers.
The laws have not only been cited by venue owners around the country as a model for what they would like to see in their own states, but even led the IFPI and Music Canada to dub Melbourne one of the world’s leading music cites.
“The Agent of Change Principle works well where there is a concentration of established music venues that are threatened by encroaching residential developments,” they wrote. “An effort is now underway to have this principle adopted in part of London, UK.”
As Poynton writes in a letter addressed to ‘Newtown Noise Complainers’, “In 2014 laws were passed in Victoria to protect important music venues from being shut down by noise complaints, basically stating that if you moved near a venue that was there before you moved in, you had no right to complain about the noise.”
“These laws were supported by Music Victoria, musos, venue owners and residents who understood the importance and cultural significance of their local pubs. The Imperial Hotel is at the centre of Queer culture in Sydney, and has now been brought down by noise complaints.”
As Tone Deaf reported last month, the owners of the Imperial Hotel in Erskineville are fighting to keep the iconic venue open in the face of another forced closure from liquor authorities, which follows a lengthy investigation from local officials.
[include_post id=”455346″]
“This is a familiar story in Sydney, The Annandale and The Hopetoun being prime examples. Newtown was built around Artists, live music, Queer culture and alternative spaces. We can not let people shut us down, shut us up, and shut us out. Newtown is too good to lose.”
At the time of writing, Ms Poynton’s petition has gathered just under 3,000 signatures, with another 2,018 needed to reach its goal of 5,000. Readers can view Ms Poynton’s letter and sign the petition over at Change.org.
Meanwhile, residents in Victoria are preparing to find out if the Agent of Change laws actually work in practice. As Tone Deaf reported back in June, Northcote’s Open Studio may become the legislation’s first test case.
The Mylonas family have lodged an application for a 31-unit, five-storey development on Northcote’s High St, right next door to Open Studio, a popular live music destination, bar, and crêperie, which has been serving local punters for the past nine years.
