The popular Groovin the Moo has always prided itself on supporting regional Australia, but a Queensland mayor doesn’t think it can say this anymore. She even thinks triple j should stop sponsoring the festival.
As reported by ABC, Townsville mayor Jenny Hill is very unhappy that Groovin the Moo has ditched the Townsville leg of its multi-location run.
Townsville has been replaced by the Sunshine Coast which is, according to Hill, simply “an outer suburb of Brisbane.”
Despite the Townsville leg regularly attracting crowds of almost 20,000 between 2008 and 2019, Groovin the Moo’s organisers still had to deal with logistical and financial challenges to hit the north of the country.
According to Hill, though, that means Groovin the Moo can no longer consider itself a festival for regional Australia. “Three of the stops, Wayville in Adelaide, Canberra and the Sunshine Coast can hardly be considered regional,” she insisted. “Let’s face it, the Sunshine Coast is an outer suburb of Brisbane.”
Hill would even go so far as to support submitting an official petition to the House of Representatives by a local Townsville resident.
“As Groovin the Moo is sponsored by triple j, owned by the Australian government, one has to question the commitment of the national broadcaster to northern Australia,” the mayor continued. “The tyranny of distance kills us for events. You shouldn’t have to live in Brisbane for liveability. We can’t make it a liveable place if we don’t have some events.”
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At the time of writing, Groovin the Moo’s organisers haven’t commented about the matter. Tone Deaf has reached out for more information. In a statement provided to ABC, though, triple j affirmed its “deep commitment to servicing audiences outside the major capital cities and in regional Australia.” Triple j has also supported several Townsville-based events within the past year.
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