The Victorian rock and roll community is reeling in the wake of yesterday’s state budget, which saw funding for the contemporary music sector slashed by 56% and the popular FReeZACentral program abandoned.
Liquor licensing
The suburbs where you have to vote to have a drink
While Melbourne likes to think of itself as Australia’s cosmopolitan capital and rarely misses an opportunity to promote its laneway bars or nightlife, three polls that ended on Monday remind us that some links to its wowser past still remain. Christopher McNamara reports.
The cultural revolution was online in 2010
The most important arts and “cultural” events of 2010 happened online, writes Ben Eltham, in his final My Cup of Tea column for the year.
New Tote proprietor to press Brumby on liquor changes
New Tote Hotel proprietor Jon Perring has called on the Victorian government to immediately fix its liquor licensing laws, to avoid a repeat of the saga that forced the hallowed rock venue to shut its doors.
Rock rally strikes a chord with the Victorian Liberals
Many MPs are steeped in Melbourne’s music culture, but others instead listen to the bureaucrats who hate its disorderliness, to branch members from the pre-rock era, or to foreign ideologies that see rock as the voice of the devil.
Brumby’s backflip on live music could claim Maclellan
Pressure is growing on controversial Victorian Liquor Licensing director Sue Maclellan over her enforcement of the state government’s liquor licensing laws following a backflip on live music by the Brumby government.
Vic government set to slash security to save live music
Security requirements for inner city Melbourne music venues are set to be slashed in an desperate government bid to save live music from the scrapheap amid spiralling liquor licensing compliance costs and a looming state election.
Brumby falling on his sword over liquor laws
The controversial one-size-fits-all approach to Victoria’s liquor licensing laws is again under fire after a Queen Vic Market wine shop was classified as a “high risk” venue in the same league as a 1,000-capacity South Melbourne superclub.
White knights circling to save The Tote
A trio of white knights look set to assume control of iconic Melbourne rock pub The Tote, which was scheduled to close its doors for the last time today due to a combination of liquor licensing requirements and fees.
Guy Rundle: Memo state Labor governments, occasioned by the closing of the Tote
How a capital city has gone from a famously dour black hole to a huge cultural and tourist enterprise, as well as a genuine hub of new ideas … and how it’s the government’s mission to kill it.
Letter of objection to the re-issuing of a Liquor Licence for Aurukun
In the name of child protection, please hear the echos of the voices of those elders and leaders of the Aurukun community from 20 years ago who foresaw the tragedy ahead of them, writes Noel Waterman.
