Page 2528 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 31 July 2019

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(a) designate specific areas and precincts around the ACT as entertainment zones;

(b) provide flexibility in allowable noise levels in these zones;

(d) increase the standards and requirements for noise insulation and abatement for new buildings in designated precincts.

I have brought this motion to the chamber for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is because I like to think that I understand the value of live music to the economy of any city and also to the soul and vibrancy of any city. But I would like to think also that I understand its value to individuals. I worked in radio for 33 years. For the vast bulk of that time I was at music stations playing music. During my time working at 3NE in Wangaratta I managed a rock band for the best part of 12 months, which was awesome fun. They were called Xavier. They were a ragtag bunch of Italian tobacco pickers from out at Myrtleford.

They played some covers of Bon Jovi, the Angels, the Radiators, the Sweet as well as some really cool original songs. For a year we traversed the expanses of north-east Victoria setting up and playing gigs from Shepparton to Albury, Benalla and Wangaratta. As a band, we managed to make enough money to buy a van. We were pretty happy with that. We even recorded a number of songs at a professional studio in Melbourne. I have been racking my brain to remember the name of the studio. I recall it was the same studio where Wendy and the Rockets recorded their hit Play the game in the early 80s, but I cannot remember the name of the studio.

When I left Wangaratta to move to another radio station, things did go pear-shaped, which I only really discovered when the credit union came chasing me for the money that the band owed on the van. We sorted that one out. I suppose all I am trying to illustrate is that I have an understanding of the live music scene in Australia. Yes, I did on occasions provide guest vocals at band practice and in performances. My song of choice was Hit me with your best shot, but we will not be doing any renditions of that today.

I think most of us here have an understanding of the live music industry and its importance to Canberra and to individuals. This motion calls upon this government to lift itself out of the apathy with which it treats the live entertainment and live music sectors in our city. This government knows very well that it has been ignoring the live music sector for a long time. It is certainly no stranger to this issue. It has been involved in, or been presented with, numerous reviews, reports and case studies that go back as far as 2010. So we are talking nine years ago or more.

For the benefit of the chamber I will recount a little of the history of these. Back in 2010, the standing committee on planning, public works, territory and municipal services had an inquiry into live community events, closely followed by an interdepartmental committee review of contemporary music. In the same year, there was the Loxton review of arts in Canberra. Moving along, in 2011 ACTPLA released a night-time economy discussion paper. The issue went into abeyance for a few years. Then in 2015, the Property Council of Australia and Canberra CBD Ltd brought the

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