Music festival safety bill passes Parliament
Legislation to reinstate a festival safety system that requires high-risk music festivals to prepare a safety management plan was today approved by NSW Parliament.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the legislation imposes the same requirements on high-risk music festivals that were in place under the regulations disallowed by Labor, the Greens and the Shooters.
“Labor, the Greens and the Shooters took away these regulations and replaced them with nothing, putting lives at risk. We put politics aside and delivered on a promise to prioritise safety for festival goers,” Mr Dominello said.
“The vast majority of festivals are managed responsibly and are safe, however the death and serious illnesses that have occurred compelled the Government to act.
“We’ve reinstated a regime that ensures festival organisers abide by the highest community and health standards. Ultimately this is about ensuring music festivals are safe and adequately resourced to respond to medical emergencies.”
The legislation will reinstate the requirement to develop safety management plans in consultation with NSW Health, NSW Police and the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority. This applies to only 11 of more than 90 festivals in NSW.