Page 262 - Week 01 - Thursday, 12 February 2015
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The government plays an important role in supporting live music, including providing support for a range of free live music performances across the city. Live music is a core part of our biggest community celebrations throughout the year, from New Year’s Eve, Australia Day and Canberra Day, amongst others. In fact, this weekend will see one of our largest and most loved public events with music at its core kick off outside the front door of this very building. I am determined that Canberra meets its potential as a vibrant and social city and that it meets its potential as an innovative city.
My government has as its core priorities for this year support for jobs and innovation and urban renewal, and live music and events play an integral part in supporting this agenda. As we drive urban renewal and foster further vitality across Canberra, we also, as many have acknowledged, need to make sure we balance that desire against protecting local amenity. After all, it is a fact that most Canberra residents live in leafy garden suburbs that can and should remain quiet and tranquil places. At the same time, as our city grows into its skin, it is simply the case that there will be more going on, especially in the CBD and around town centres. It is also simply the case that more people will use our public places, and the more people who use those places the more noise will be created.
Regulations that control the hosting and performance of live music and events exist to ensure the safety and amenity of the whole community—public, patrons, staff, performers and venue operators. That is why event organisers are required to comply with a wide range of regulations in areas such as noise control, food service standards, liquor permits, workplace safety, road management and land use, if the event is of that scale. These controls are necessary protections, but the government recognises that they can be hard for event operators to negotiate and comply with, especially for those who are trying to start some new event or do something innovative. This is one of the reasons that one of my first acts as Chief Minister was to create Access Canberra.
Access Canberra brings together the full range of regulators that a live music event organiser would need to seek approval from, and I acknowledge it is a long list: Canberra Connect, building and utilities regulations, environment protection and water regulations, fair trading and registration, inspection and regulatory services, public health protection and food services, public unleased land regulations and WorkSafe ACT. Under the previous arrangements the event organiser would potentially be required to go around to those seven different areas to seek approvals. Now, through Access Canberra, we have a one-stop shop for businesses, community organisations, event organisers and individuals to interact with government. This means there is no wrong door for approaching ACT government. It means businesses will have more time to innovate, invest and grow whilst our regulators provide the appropriate protections for citizens and the community.
In the short time since I have announced Access Canberra, a range of exciting and innovative projects have been supported, and we are already talking with entrepreneurs, promoters and businesses on how we can undertake our regulatory functions even better. One small example: a Canberra business wanting to hold a spit roast in an outdoor dining area was having trouble satisfying the requirements of at
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