NSW Government’s Vibrancy Reforms Have Passed Parliament

After the lockouts and the lockdowns, a fresh set of reforms to usher-in a “new era for live music” in Sydney and New South Wales.

That’s the reaction from MusicNSW, after the state parliament on Thursday morning (Nov. 30) passed the so-called Vibrancy Reforms, which were drawn up to facilitate a “thriving, accessible, safe, diverse and exciting” night life.

Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy The Hon. John Graham MLC and 24 Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues were key advocates for the Vibrancy Bills, tabled in Parliament last month (Oct. 19) to coincide with the inaugural South By South West Sydney.

As previously reported, the reforms  are essentially an untangling of a bureaucratic mess created and dumped by successive, previous administrations, the outcome of which is a streamline system which should “put the age of lockouts and over-regulation behind us.”

The changes will be delivered through six areas of reform: Sensible venue sound management; vibrant, coordinated precincts; an activated outdoors; Empowering the 24-hour economy commissioner to deliver a sustainable, thriving night-time economy; and licensing and improving the night-time sector for workers.

Currently, the state has seven agencies that accept noise complaints. Through the changes, the Liquor and Gaming NSW will take the lead in managing noise complaints against licensed venues.

Now, the package of measures applies one set of laws for noise disturbance complaints against live music and performance venues, with higher hurdles imposed for complaints to progress and no avenue for a single complainant to close venues.

So, gone are the days when one grouch with bad ears can shut down a beloved music hub.

“These are important steps in the sector’s continued recovery,” adds Muller, “and we hope they will result in more live music venues, gigs for artists, jobs for music industry workers, and opportunities for audiences to enjoy local and touring performances across the whole of NSW.”

Operating a live music space has never been more challenging. With the announcement of its annual figures, APRA AMCOS recently revealed some 1,300 live music venues were lost nationwide in the years since COVID-19 swept the globe. 

Read more here.