Community-Sector Submission on the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report and Proposed Action Plan

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A Joint Community-Sector Submission

on Wollongong City Council’s ‘Cultural Plan Exhibition’ documentation

‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ Incorporating the ‘Live Music Action Plan’

Submission Authored by Dr Robert Carr

with contributions from Wollongong music sector stakeholders

Dr Robert Carr 8 Stafford Street, Stanmore, NSW 2048

Ph: 0402 716 475 Email: [email protected]

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CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 3

RECOMMENDATIONS .............................................................................................. 5

PART 1: Community Engagement, Expectations & Desires Prior to the Taskforce ...................................................................................................................... 7

PART 2: Concise Responses to the Action Plan In-‐Brief ........................................ 8

PART 3: Discussion of the Wollongong Live Music Report and Proposed Live Music Action Plan ...................................................................................................... 14

Introduction & rationale ............................................................................................................ 14 A valuable cultural mapping exercise – identifying the gaps ................................................... 15 Recognising economic change .................................................................................................. 16 ‘It’s a good start’: How the taskforce report and action plan met community and stakeholder expectations ............................................................................................................................... 17 ‘Regulation-centric’ and ‘not proactive’: How the taskforce report and action plan did not meet community and stakeholder expectations ......................................................................... 17 The taskforce as ‘regulation-centric’ ........................................................................................ 18 Enabling youth services ............................................................................................................ 19 Training ..................................................................................................................................... 20 Broadening the historical and social context of Wollongong live music culture ..................... 20 Greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context needed .......................... 22 Recognition of diversity and equitability .................................................................................. 24 Effecting an improvement in police-community relations ........................................................ 24 Understanding night spaces in context: trust, policing and live music ..................................... 25 ‘Changing perceptions’ ............................................................................................................. 26 Parity: the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan ............................... 26 Process and pecuniary interests ................................................................................................. 28 Participation and membership of the taskforce ......................................................................... 29 Grants and other forms of support ............................................................................................ 30

PART 4: Evaluation and Conclusions ..................................................................... 32 i. Evaluation: the community & stakeholders’ criteria for good outcomes .............................. 32 ii. Recommendations for More Proactive Commitments from Council ................................... 33

REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 34 APPENDIX 1 – The Survey Questions ...................................................................... 36

APPENDIX 2 – List of Community Members & Stakeholders Who Contributed Written Feedback to This Submission ........................................................................ 37

APPENDIX 3 - Community and Stakeholder Written Contributions ...................... 38 APPENDIX 4 - Wollongong Live Music Accord (LMA) .......................................... 54

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The ‘Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report’ (Wardle, 2014) (hereafter, ‘the report’) including the proposed ‘Live Music Action Plan’ (hereafter ‘the action plan’) is logical, straightforward, insightful and for the most part good practice in the development of public policy. However, the action plan is insufficient in its current form. This submission does not support endorsement of the action plan without significant revision. There are four parts to this submission that follow. Part 1 reflects on the expectations of the community and stakeholders prior to the establishment of the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce. Part 2 provides a brief rating of the action plan on a point-by-point basis. Part 3 is a qualitative discussion of the Live Music Taskforce Report. Part 4 is an evaluation of the proposed action plan and conclusions. The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise, though there are a number of gaps as identified in this submission. The submission suggests there is a need for greater recognition of and a more strategic response to economic change in Wollongong particularly with respect to income generation in the live music sector. The submission provides a qualitative discussion of how the taskforce report and action plan met and did not meet community and stakeholder expectations. Information extracted via a qualitative survey (see Appendix 1) as well as anecdotal feedback informs this submission. The submission explores a criticism that the live music action plan is ‘regulation-centric’ with too little direct action proposed in terms of cultivating opportunities for live music, growth of the sector and expansion of Council’s arts funding program. Further, the submission examines the issue of resourcing and enabling Youth Services as well as educating, training and professionalising young people in the music sector. The submission draws questions about how realistic and informed the action plan is. This is done by suggesting, firstly, the need to include in the ‘Background’ of the report a broader consideration of the historical and social context with respect to more recent analysis and scholarship about the Wollongong music scene; and second, by greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context. The submission recommends greater recognition of community diversity in the action plan to ensure the delivery of an equitable live music policy. The submission highlights the need for effecting an improvement in police-community relations, citing feedback that this has been achieved through the taskforce. It calls for the action plan to aspire to a greater understanding of night spaces within the context of the prominent issues traversing trust, policing and live music. The submission suggests that “changing perceptions” may be more difficult than acknowledged in the report, foreshadowed by negative media stereotyping and populist concerns on social media about the City Centre being “unsafe”. The submission undertakes a parity exercise between the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan. Observations are made about process and pecuniary interests implicating the taskforce. This is followed by a review of feedback

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on issues relating to participation in and membership of the taskforce. The submission discusses grants and other forms of support and how effectively these issues are incorporated into the action plan. This joint-community submission incorporates valuable insights provided by community members and stakeholders interested in and intimately involved in the live music scene. Its broad position, which is grounded in both written and anecdotal feedback, is that the report has many strengths. However, in its present form the report is inadequate, and without sufficient context, substance and understanding. The report is desperately in need of more research, surveying and coverage among practioners. The proposed action plan and report are regarded to be the beginning of a process. Therefore, one expectation is that this submission will be regarded part of that process. Some of the recommendations proposed in the submission may not be taken up by Wollongong Council. It is expected, however, that Council will respond appropriately to the recommendations stated in this submission and explain it’s reasoning for objecting to them via procedural channels. The following recommendations are derived from what Wollongong’s knowledgeable and active practioners know to be required for a successful and sustainable live music sector. Their ideas and recommendations ought to be considered with diligence by Council as they will improve and inject significant strength into Council’s Cultural Plan and put Wollongong on the tourist map.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

1. It is recommended that the report incorporate the full range of live music events in Wollongong to increase the sample’s accuracy, incorporating such as those produced by Town Hall and Chaplin Arts.

2. Council needs to include in its mapping of music spaces professional

recording studios and their contributions as benefactors to the music economy, as providers of vocational skills education and as measurable contributors to the skills base of the arts sector.

3. It is recommended that the taskforce report and Evening Economy report

reflect a more realistic and broader understanding of and recognition of the impacts of economic change in Wollongong on the live music sector (see discussion on p. 17).

4. It is recommended the action plan include resourcing Youth Services for the

running of educational, mentoring and professionalisation workshops and services.

5. It is recommended the roles of youth workers be included in the background

section of the report in order to provide fuller context and recognition of the breadth of commitment to supporting live music at the grassroots level.

6. Council to initiate an Event Organiser Training Program

7. It is recommended the report recognise – at least in the background section -

in greater detail the depth of the history of the music scene generally, as well as the history of advocacy, strategies that have been tried in the past to improve the music sector, and the benefits of these to the community and in terms of empowering and supporting musicians.

8. Special mention ought to be made of Jack Tickner’s role in the establishment

of the taskforce in 2013. He is currently absent from the ‘background’ section of the report.

9. The report and action plan need to recognize and compensate for the social

and political context in Wollongong and how these aspects may impede the success of the roll out of the action plan that is proposed. The action plan needs to, explicitly and/or implicitly, provide specific guidance to countenance top-down bureaucratic pressures which may limit its success.

10. Council recognise that the sector needs direct investment and resourcing of

existing forums and other community initiatives. This includes the establishment of a Live Music Office as suggested in the Live Music Accord.

11. It is recommended Council provision shared “ownership” of live music

forums to develop a genuine dialogue and sense of partnership between council and community.

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12. It is recommended that the report and action plan state more clearly how they

will ensure greater recognition of diversity in the live music sector and that policy development is equitable.

13. Concise measures in the action plan are needed which stipulate that police will

continue engaging the live music sector on an ongoing basis both in and outside of the Liquor Accord, and define the ways in which that can occur.

14. It is further recommended Council undertake steps to monitor music events and seek interactive feed back from police, neighbours and patrons where appropriate.

15. The report should emphasize Council’s capacities for spending more time and

resources investing in an increased sense of community ownership of public space rather than deferring to “dispersal” strategies in the City Centre.

16. It is recommended that Council commit to the Live Music Accord and that this

be formally incorporated into the live music action plan.

17. The action plan requires further refining to align more strategically with the outcomes specified in the Live Music Accord.

18. Closed door tendering as a general rule ought to be avoided, and in this

instance the risks include tarnishing the taskforce and its credibility in the eyes of the community.

19. It is recommended Council allocate a programming budget for live music that

incorporates local mixed small business/arts initiatives.

20. Council initiate a commitment to paying live music performers on a city-wide basis and make it a requirement that an appropriate income be provided to performers as a DA condition for venues.

21. This submission recommends Council adopt a commitment of implementing

the new Cultural Plan by creating a budget for it to be allocated specifically as program money (and as separate to monies allocated to staffing and building).

22. It is recommended that Council identify a skilled individual to implement the

live music action plan, such as a Live Music Officer or an Arts or Cultural Services Officer.

23. It is recommended Council reactivate a live music program at Wollongong

Youth Centre.

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PART 1: Community Engagement, Expectations & Desires Prior to the Taskforce Community and stakeholders expressed their expectations of the Taskforce prior to the Terms of Reference being announced. This is shown in media such as the following;

• According to Masso (2011): ‘The concerns raised in the live music scene forum shows the need for more community forums (physical, online, formal and informal), various stakeholders working together more effectively; (small business) grants and music scene projects, Advocacy and strategy’.

• Carr (2013a) also commented:

o ‘could this be the turning point for Wollongong Council, for community engagement,

and a new, innovative participatory cultural development model in action? ... the initiative has the potential to be an unprecedented experiment in community building and good governance… an innovative approach to community capacity building.’

o ‘crucial so venues like Owls can position themselves with greater certainty and are assured they have the support of planners, police and the community.’

o ‘Planners also need to keep in mind that Wollongong’s live music community does not only centre around venues… a broader network of performances, production and culture – a network that should be reflected in and represented on the Live Music Taskforce.’ (Carr, 2013a)

The view presented in this submission on the viability of the live music action plan draws on 6 criteria both implicitly and explicitly at various times. These criteria are based on a summary of the results of a qualitative assessment of stakeholders’1 views prior to the announcement of the Terms of Reference for the taskforce (as cited in Carr, 2013a). These criteria summarised these stakeholders’ position at the time, which includes:

o To value community engagement, local traditions, knowledge and networks as these

relate to local live music community, and have a transparent membership selection criteria and process

o The Taskforce to be an opportunity for building stronger rapport between local government and the community

o The Taskforce be a spearhead for cultural development and not just about DAs and venue regulation

o The Taskforce be “community led”, rather than being a top down extension of the arms of Council bureaucracy, and to make recommendations that respond to both the community's needs and the city's 2022 vision

o The Taskforce engage the expertise and input of live music policy experts o Establishment of partnerships between the Taskforce and key development and

policy organisations including Sydney Live Music Taskforce, Sounds Australia & Music Council of Australia

In Part 4 of this submission, I revisit these criteria and measure the work of the taskforce, the live music report and the live music action plan against them.

1 This included statements (Carr, 2013a) from Ben Tillman, Alex Masso, Dr Ianto Ware, Jessie Hunt, Nik Russo, Adam Jordan, Jeb Taylor, Nathan Stratton, Michelle Hanley, Sam Burrell and Cr Vicky Curran.

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PART 2: Concise Responses to the Action Plan In-‐Brief In this section, each point of the action plan is given a rating (as written in red below) chosen from: a) definitively viable, b) probably viable, c) possibly viable, d) unviable, e) requires some rethinking, f) requires major rethinking. Goal: Civic Leadership and Governance 1 Foundation Recommendations

• That Council initiates a review of the city planning controls to identify how these instruments can promote the development of the live music sector and city centre revitalisation; as well as to support the findings of the associated Cultural Plan and Evening Economy Strategy and Action Plan.

Rating: b) Probably viable; e) requires some rethinking. This recommendation is contingent on funding and resources yet to be allocated. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. • Develop a venue matrix of building stock and available sites for live music events through a staged

process, identifying criteria including cost, availability, and suitability/fit for purpose aspects. Rating: b) Probably viable; e) requires some rethinking. This recommendation is contingent on funding and resources yet to be allocated. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors.

• Promote Wollongong as a safe city through positive images, visible policing, and making available

data on trends in public safety and crime.

Rating: c) Possibly viable; e) requires some rethinking; f) requires some major rethinking. This recommendation is contingent on funding and resources yet to be allocated, and on crime safety strategies that are contestable because they are (currently) overly fixated with notions “dispersal”, as opposed to being centred on strategies to facilitate an increased sense of community ownership of public space. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors.

2 Information and Resources

• Align Council’s information resources and access where relevant across planning, economic development and culture to support the development of live music in Wollongong.

Rating: a) definitively viable. This is certainly within the existing portfolio and capacities of staff. • Resource the development assessment team to help deliver improved information and guidance for

proponents of live music/performance throughout the application process. Rating: a) definitively viable. This is certainly within the existing portfolio and capacities of staff.

• Investigate opportunities for hosting an information session for the live music sector to advise the

community on how to establish a live music venue informed by the City of Sydney Live Music 101 Small Business Seminars Model.

Rating: b) Probably viable; e) requires some rethinking. Why just ‘investigate opportunities’ and not ‘implement strategies’? Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors.

• Investigate partnership opportunities with the City of Sydney for dissemination of relevant

information prepared from their Live Music and Live Performance Action Plan; including information guides that provide specific information on the process requirements and resources

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available for setting up a temporary or permanent live music or performance venue and that relate to the Building Code of Australia.

Rating: b) Probably viable; e) requires some rethinking. Why just ‘investigate partnership opportunities’ and not ‘initiate a partnership’ with Sydney City Council? Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors.

3 Liquor Licensing

• That the City of Wollongong encourages appropriate trading conditions to support the viability and development of live music venues, and that licensing applications and variations to trading conditions are considered with regard to the cultural and economic development of the city.

Rating: a) definitively viable. This is certainly within the existing portfolio and capacities of staff.

• Encourage live music venues and small bars to participate in the Wollongong Liquor Accord, and to

maintain good working relationships with Wollongong and Lake Illawarra Police. Rating: a) definitively viable. This is certainly within the existing portfolio and capacities of staff.

• Ensure that comprehensive data on public safety and crime statistics and trends are available to

Council and venues to ensure evidence-based decisions are made when determining DA and licensing conditions for live music premises.

Rating: a) definitively viable. e) requires some rethinking. This is certainly within the existing portfolio and capacities of staff and police from WAC/LAC. One question, however, relates to whether police have collected accurate statistics and whether they will be forthcoming with data swiftly and openly. The inference here is in regards to police hesitance in the past to be forthcoming with crime data and discuss crime with the community openly and honestly (as discussed in Carr, 2014).

4 Planning

• Remove the planning control requirements (LEP etc) for a DA for festivals and events on Crown or Council Land.

Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

• Review Standard Conditions of Development Consent to avoid inadvertent operating restrictions or

inconsistencies eg with hours of operation or liquor licensing requirements. Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

• Ensure adequate information resources about responsibilities and land use character are available to

venues and residents to pre-empt amenity complaints. Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

• Proposed residential development in mixed use evening economy areas is to incorporate relevant

acoustic and/or design measures to address noise amenity impacts. Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

• Following review of planning controls consider providing S149 certificate notations to alert

purchasers of locations with live music and evening economy character. Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

• That a protocol is prepared for Council Cultural and Economic Development staff to be advised by

Planning and Building officers of any Development Application for or variation of consent or licensing conditions of a live music venue as an advisory pathway.

Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff).

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• That a program about the City’s cultural priorities and support for live music is implemented for City

of Wollongong staff responsible for planning assessments, enforcement and compliance matters. This program could consist of training and annual refreshers about sector trends and issues affecting live music in Wollongong and NSW, as well as the recommendations of this Taskforce and the priorities outlined in associated Cultural Plan and Evening Economy Strategy and Action Plan.

Rating: b) Probably viable; e) requires some rethinking. This recommendation is contingent on funding and resources yet to be allocated. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. ‘could consist’ should be changed to ‘will consist’.

• Endorse the pre-lodgement process recommended by the City of Sydney Live Music and Live

Performance Taskforce Action Plan (based on the Edinburgh ‘Temporary Theatre Licence’ concept) as it is developed further by the City of Sydney - through involving City of Wollongong building approval, planning, health and building and cultural staff to support the creation of non-traditional and temporary live music and performance venues.

Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff). • Encourage opportunities for the live music and creative sector in future development of industrial

zones as these areas transition in use indexed to the future of heavy industry in the area.

Rating: a) definitively viable, e) requires some rethinking. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. ‘encourage’ should be changed to ‘provide’.

5 Noise

• That a clearly defined and publicly available enforcement protocol for responding to amenity complaints against live music venues is prepared between Wollongong City Council and the Wollongong and Lake Illawarra Police.

a) Definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. who will write the protocol and who has the enforcement capacity to implement it (Council or police)?

• Encourage independent mediation between venues and residents in the case of an amenity dispute. a) Definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. ‘encourage independent mediation’ should be changed to ‘provide a clear pathway plan for independent mediation’.

• That community safety meetings between Council and Wollongong and Lake Illawarra Police also

identify any noise complaints against live music venues and events. a) Definitively viable • Investigate measures to ensure that the authority to issue enforcement measures against live music

venues in response to complaints under the POEO Act are restricted to appropriate staff experienced and trained to assess and determine ‘offensive noise’, and that formal procedures reflect this.

a) Definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. ‘Investigate measures’ should be changed to ‘Initiate measures’. • Ensure adequate information resources about responsibilities and land use character are available to

venues and residents to pre-empt amenity complaints. a) Definitively viable

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• That a protocol is prepared for Council Cultural and Economic Development staff to be advised of any amenity complaints against live music venues as an advisory pathway.

a) Definitively viable

Goal: Celebrating our Spaces 6 Council Venues

• Review hiring policies, prices, facilities and licensing options associated with City of Wollongong owned venues and spaces so that they are optimised to support live music events.

a) Definitively viable

• Consideration is given to include live music and performance capacity in the development of an Arts

Precinct Master Plan.

a) Definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest rewording so the outcome is measurable, workable and not contingent on other factors. E.g. ‘Consideration is given..’ should be changed to ‘Ensure live music and performance are included in the development of and implementation of an Arts Precinct Master Plan.’

• Identify and develop a designated, multi-day festival site within the region.

Rating: a) definitively viable (assuming this is within the capacities of staff and council to deliver).

Goal: Vibrant Community 7 Events

• Investigate and encourage expressions of interest from major contemporary music festivals for an event in Wollongong.

Rating: a) definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Who will investigate and encourage expressions of interest and what are the criteria for which festival producers are solicited for proposals?

• Investigate the possibility of the development and promotion of a summer music series with regional

Councils. Rating: a) definitively viable • Investigate the possibility of a program of live music events at swimming pools in summer as part of

the Summer of Fun. Rating: a) definitively viable Goal: Smart Economy 8 Research

• That Council supports a noise mapping study of the city centre and suburban evening economy areas to identify areas with higher background noise levels and plan accordingly.

Rating: a) definitively viable • That Council encourages further research into mapping the cultural and economic contribution of live

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music to the City of Wollongong.

Rating: a) definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest change/adding ‘the cultural, economic community’s historical contributions to live music in the City of Wollongong.’ Also change ‘encourages’ to ‘initiates’, which could be done through establishing partnerships and soliciting of articles and research through academia including the social history of live music.

Goal: An Inclusive and Connected Community 9 Transport and Parking

• Investigate opportunities for improved transport at night.

Rating: a) definitively viable • Investigate parking conditions to ensure better access for musicians to live music venues.

Rating: a) definitively viable

10 Marketing

• Council promotes live music venues and events through the Cultural Newsletter. Rating: a) definitively viable • Investigate the possibility of a stand-alone live music communication through Wollongong

Council.

Rating: a) definitively viable. In past practice, Council supported a gig-guide initiative through Youth Services in partnership with the WMRT association.

• Encourage the sector to pro-actively contribute to a comprehensive gig guide and encourage venues

to routinely log their events in the Destination Wollongong Gig Guide.

Rating: a) definitively viable. Would probably require council to initiative a project manager for this. In past practice, Council supported a gig-guide initiative through Youth Services in partnership with the WMRT association.

• Ensure that live music in Wollongong, through events, festivals, institutions and venues, is promoted

beyond the residents of Wollongong through Destination Wollongong. Rating: a) definitively viable. • Make representation to Destination NSW to optimise the capability of their events portal to enhance

its function as a gig guide for the live music sector.

Rating: e) requires some rethinking. Unclear wording - who will ‘make representation’? Add staff title/role allocated to do this.

11 Sector Engagement and Representation

• Wollongong City Council Cultural Reference Group includes a representative from the Live Music Taskforce.

Rating: a) definitively viable. • Encourage the music sector to meet regularly at a live music venue to investigate issues facing the

live music scene in Wollongong.

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Rating: a) definitively viable; e) requires some rethinking. Suggest change wording – the community meets regularly through forums, meetings, events committees and at gigs already. Suggest rewrite to include: ‘Resource regular meetings of live music stakeholders. Support community forums that investigate issues facing the live music scene in Wollongong, and in line with community engagement principles Council will undertake to facilitate positive outcomes in responding to the issues raised.’

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PART 3: Discussion of the Wollongong Live Music Report and Proposed Live Music Action Plan

Introduction & rationale This submission is written in the spirit of community democracy and social justice principles, and espouses the view that local government should and ought to play a role in facilitating equitable distribution of public monies and resources. It further takes the view that the process by which the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce was established and which governed its activities is just as important as the work of the taskforce itself. The submission espouses the view that the quality of community engagement throughout these kinds of processes is crucial to delivering good and equitable outcomes for the community. The submission accepts in good faith that a local council’s resources are finite and that there are reasonable limits to what local government can and cannot allocate towards the enhancement of the Wollongong live music sector. By the same measure, it is the role of local government to pursue opportunities that will enhance positive, empowering and cohesive relations within the community. The authors’ hope is that the taskforce and the proposed live music action plan will generate opportunities for greater sustainability within the cultural sector, particularly through increased interest in local music production and enjoyment and by initiating capacity building for startup projects. In conducting research for this submission, it was pleasing to discover that, in the opinion of the stakeholders surveyed, issues with regulation and the policing of live music spaces has improved, as have relations between police, council, venue operators and police. The taskforce has clearly been a catalyst for a change in policing culture, policy making and in producing an enhanced sense of cohesiveness across the Local Government Area (LGA). The initiative, driven initially by community members and thereafter championed by Councillors, has increased the visibility of the needs of the live music sector. This in itself signifies the impressive and unprecedented level of unity driving the live music taskforce and the proposed action plan. Even more significant is that - as identified in the report itself - it was the community that led this change with a strong and clear message that was built upon years of advocacy and volunteer work yet to be accounted for in “official” histories of the city. In an unprecedented show of magnanimity, Wollongong Councillors have responded with unanimity to the community’s message. Evident is that Councillors have come to recognise the untapped potential of the cultural sector. They have been moved to action because a taskforce had the potential to embody a renewed spirit of partnership after several years of unnecessary tensions between local government, NSW police, creative sector businesses and initiatives and ordinary members of the music community. Despite a number of shortcomings evident in the action plan, the taskforce represents a major step forward for the city as a whole in its efforts to recreate its industry base and forge new and sustainable economic pathways. The author concedes that this submission does not discuss the entirety of the

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proposals being delivered as part of Wollongong Council’s Cultural Plan review. The assumption is that whomever reads this submission will have considerable knowledge of the other associated documents (e.g. the ‘Evening Economy’ action plan) and be able to form judgments about the application of this submission within that broader context. The author has, however, referred to these other documents where it has been deemed relevant to do so. The establishment of the taskforce has presented an opportunity for the endorsement of the Live Music Accord, which was drafted by music advocates in 2012-2013 though yet to be formally tabled to Council. It is hoped that Accord and its desire to create a Live Music Office in Wollongong can be assisted by the outcomes of the live music action plan.

A valuable cultural mapping exercise – identifying the gaps Overall the report is thorough in identifying performance spaces, and probably its most significant contribution overall is the new data regarding mapping the local live music scene. The report is a valuable cultural mapping exercise that builds on the data provided previously by, for example, Gibson, Gallan and Warren (2012) Masso (2011), and Gallan (2012). By the same measure, the mapping did not include spaces where music occurs beyond live performance and where it needs to be recognized as an economic activity. Musician and UOW researcher Nik Russo (Appendix 3) points out Council ‘need to consider the role of the youth market more and not just think that having an “arts precinct” addresses the inclusiveness of the music scene, whereas what needs help is the kind of music services/venues which are LARGELY frequented by youths and not middle-agers or retirees.’ Some performance spaces were overlooked in the mapping exercise. Claire Roberts, Manager of Wollongong Town Hall states (Appendix 3) that ‘Town Hall was not approached to see how many live music presentations occurred in December 2013.’ Moreover, Anna Chaplin the Director of Chaplin Arts notes (Appendix 3): ‘I, like many of my colleagues felt a bit left out [of the report] as we were all very busy this past year and didn't feel the scene was adequately represented. I was grateful I was mentioned at all as many people whom I know to be very important in our scene weren't listed in any of the sections.’ The report fails to document the extent of Chaplin Arts’ events.2 Chaplin adds: ‘The bottom line is we all need to communicate more. Things like community funding, support, networking, etc. could be argued as a natural process of true collaboration. If we were talking about our plans, we could perhaps gain some momentum.’ The obvious question that could be asked is why were some performance spaces, venues and people ignored or omitted from the sample.

Recommendation 1: It is recommended that the report incorporate the full range of live music events in Wollongong to increase the sample’s accuracy, incorporating such as those produced by Town Hall and Chaplin Arts.

Main Street studios was also not mentioned in the report, though it is the main

2 Chaplin states, for example: ‘I was running two different weekly Open Mic's in December, one that was All-Ages and one for Adults (I've been doing my open mics now for over a year). I was also doing a couple projects whilst managing a successful local band and running a Singing Studio.’

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supplier of professionally recorded music in the Illawarra and its proprietor books Dicey Riley’s Hotel. Again the obvious question is why was the studio’s role as a supplier and booker ignored or omitted. Main Street has been and continues to be important as a generous benefactor to the music scene, and in nurturing grassroots musical projects, professionalism and vocational skills.

Recommendation 2: Council needs to include in its mapping of music spaces professional recording studios and their contributions as benefactors to the music economy, as providers of vocational skills education and as measurable contributors to the skills base of the arts sector.

It would further be of significant benefit to the community that measures be proposed by Council to develop closer links with and provide greater support to the recording side of the music scene.

Recognising economic change With respect to the proposed Cultural Plan and the associated documents, Council’s efforts to integrate economic and cultural develop are generally supported by community members. Not all community members and stakeholders, however, viewed Council’s role as to support venues financially. Claire Roberts, Manager of Wollongong Town Hall says (Appendix 3): ‘I don’t necessarily see it as council’s role to support commercial venues financially. Council’s role is to efficiently assess any applications for new music licences, and ascertain the impact on people living in the vicinity’. The economic context/changes in Wollongong are implicit in the proposed report on the Evening Economy but these elements needs to be more greatly integrated into the live music taskforce report and action plan. This includes elements such as the relationship between low-incomes (including student poverty) and live music spaces, though this could be one of the areas proposed in the report for further research. At the moment the Evening Economy and live music reports need to do a great deal more to talk to each other.

Recommendation 3: It is recommended that the taskforce report and Evening Economy report reflect a more realistic and broader understanding of and recognition of the impacts of economic change in Wollongong on the live music sector.

The links between low incomes and live music spaces have been noted elsewhere (Carr, 2013d):

‘The operating policies of the [Oxford Tavern] prior to its purchase by the Belmorgan group protected lower income earners from the effects of the Wollongong’s economic structures. This is embodied in a policy of free entry for local band nights (and for most touring bands were free as well). Belmorgan’s acquisition of the pub coincided with the implementation of a compulsory small entry fee to see local bands. The symbolism was immediate to long-time regulars both punters and performers: for the first time in decades, the onus was on local bands (rather than the Oxford Tavern) to fund live music gigs by attracting paid entry punters. The change smacked of gentrification and indicated moves by the venue to attract a more up market clientele. As Jeb Taylor suggests in The Occy, the music community’s shock turned to insult

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when the final Christmas Party Showcase at the Oxford Tavern in 2009 ‘was cancelled to make way for pole dancing.’

‘It’s a good start’: How the taskforce report and action plan met community and stakeholder expectations The following quotes are excerpts from stakeholder written statements (see Appendix 3) with regard to how the taskforce report and action plan met stakeholder and community expectations.

Brett Williams Nik Russo Ben Hession David de Santi

‘overall the Report is a good document which outlines the current issues and provides dialogue on some potential solutions. I particularly commend the recommendation to include the provision of live music & evening economy information on s149 certificates… … my expectations have been exceeded. It is good to see Council support this initiative… The number and diversity of stakeholders outlined in the Report indicates a wide-array of opinions and interests have been represented in this process… by supporting the mechanisms to develop a strong music scene I believe can be a positive PR exercise for Council across a broad section of the general community.’

‘It’s strength is the breadth of issues covered that affect music-making in Wollongong… The taskforce is a good start’.

‘the Report was very thorough, which I believe is what is needed. … venues and other stakeholders were adequately represented. … the Taskforce has had a positive effect’

‘It is nice to include the Folk Festival as an example of the type of event that can benefit the region.’

Ben Tillman Anna Chaplin Claire Roberts Adam Jordan

‘It will make new venues easier to start up. Policy surrounding noise & other elements will make live music more easily integrated into the CBD. Use & stocktake of council buildings is good idea.’

‘we should be grateful there's an effort to support our growing and changing scene.’

‘the report is thorough. It identifies many of the issues facing venues and musicians.’

N/A

‘Regulation-centric’ and ‘not proactive’: How the taskforce report and action plan did not meet community and stakeholder expectations The following quotes are excerpts from stakeholder written statements (see Appendix 3) with regard to how the taskforce report and action plan did not meet stakeholder and community expectations.


‘lack of distinction on how community versus commercial

‘Its weakness is perhaps the power of the recommendations

‘Perhaps, a stronger case could have been made for the history and the

‘Our 'negative' issues are related to the quality of the venue at Bulli

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interests are represented – i.e. should the focus be on improving the scene from the perspective of music as an artform, or as a commercial endeavour, or both?… some potential stakeholders who do not appear to be represented include musical theatre, buskers, home-based performances, rehearsal spaces and general rehearsal at home…’

made. How much affect will they have and how will they be addressed by Council and other stakeholders? … there's a pretty good coverage of financial stakeholders - but perhaps less being said by actual musicians who are slogging it out week in and week out. Their views could have perhaps been better heard/addressed. Also, consider the relevance of worrying about whether a club that gets the majority of their income from pokies really needs the help of the council in any way? Shouldn't we be focusing more on the venues and grass-roots organisations that are tying to make something happen from the ground up with virtually no money? …I was wondering what some taskforce members actually had to do with the process…. I think they need to consider the role of the youth market more and not just think that having an 'arts precinct' addresses the inclusiveness of the music scene.”

heritage of the local music scene… if people are aware of the depth of talent that Wollongong has produced, it might lend more credence for Wollongong City Council to maintain and nurture the scene. … Is the question of the legalities of poster placement an extant issue? … VOX FM was not mentioned in Section 2.1.4 of the report as a media outlet. I think that the Station has had a long commitment in promoting the local music scene.’

Showground as our site. Is this addressed in the report? ... Am not sure how the Taskforce recommendations will assist the promotion of folk music in Wollongong?’


‘Is perhaps it focuses to heavily on the venue sector too much & doesn’t consider other industries or infrastructure needed in a music economy, such as record label, touring agencies, bookers & managers.’

‘I, like many of my colleagues felt a bit left out … didn't feel the scene was adequately represented … we all need to communicate more. … if there is a next time, we all need to be involved.’

‘I wonder if the report actually addresses one of the main issues brought up by the publican at Howlin’ Wolf. … Town Hall was not approached to see how many live music presentations occurred in December 2013. … I wasn’t approached to offer any data.’

‘I wonder why the Live Music Taskforce focused mainly on venue issues when it should have been concentrating more so on getting punters to shows and building audiences. The Action Plan is tokenistic in regard to audience development and the plan should have prioritised growth in crowds and public appreciation of local live music. Although there have been regulation issues which do need addressing, I see a more urgent problem in the Wollongong music scene is the need for greater interest in going to see local bands and buying their CDs. … A lot in the Action Plan defaults to ‘further research’ but the community expects more direct action.’

The taskforce as ‘regulation-centric’ The report opens by stating ‘the Taskforce has identified areas where Council and law enforcement policy can play a strategic role in optimizing live music in Wollongong, including opportunities for audience and sector development as well as potential reforms in regulation’ (p. 5).3 However in many ways there is very little ‘strategic’ direction offered in the action plan for ‘audience and sector development’. The report (p. 9; ‘Further Reading’, p. 55) does cite several studies which may provide guidance 3 Emphasis added

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toward growth strategies in the music sector, but it is not clear how these studies and their key recommendations have been incorporated in the Wollongong live music action plan. Clearly the report will be of great benefit in terms of recommending measures for overcoming regulatory inconsistencies or inefficiencies in Wollongong. Still, it was noted in written (Appendix 3) and anecdotal feedback from stakeholders and community members that in many ways the report and action plan are too centered on the regulatory environment. Ben Hession, for instance, draws attention to an issue that has been a concern for musicians for many years: “Is the question of the legalities of poster placement an extant issue?” Prior to the Terms of Reference being formalized, Carr (2013a) noted how venue owners and other stakeholders were ‘sidelined from the process of drafting the Terms of Reference’ - which in turn may explain their vagueness - and that ‘Planners also need to keep in mind that Wollongong’s live music community does not only centre around venues’. Wollongong Cr Vicki Curran had stated during the drafting period there was a need to ‘utilise the wealth of knowledge that exits within the community already’ by drawing on local advocates throughout the process (Carr, 2013a). The report does reveal, in a sense, that the taskforce could have saved a great amount of Council’s time and resources by backing in principle the City of Sydney regulatory reform mechanisms, and subsequently freeing up the taskforce to develop more proactive audience development strategies.

Enabling youth services The report states (p. 5) ‘The Taskforce was in strong agreement … that recommendations should be prepared to nurture live music opportunities for all ages’, though there is scant strategic guidance towards nurturing young people involved in music culture. The report notes (p. 27) how Music NSW has contributed to hosting/funding workshops in Wollongong, and this has been ongoing for some time and is invaluable. Youth unemployment is a major ongoing issue in the Illawarra and is well above the national average at around 20% and underemployment remains at an estimated 40% (Burrows, 2010). These levels are endemic and the Cultural Plan ought to provide clear steps towards income creation for youth where possible.

Recommendation 4: It is recommended the action plan include resourcing Youth Services for the running of educational, mentoring and professionalisation workshops and services.

This is supported by the stakeholders, including Claire Roberts who states the council could ‘fund equipment maintenance workshops and tutorials on how to successfully gain a grant. The challenge though, is to reach young musicians and speak to them in their own language. Many young performers have no idea that council could be interested in supporting them. The use of social media and the appointment of a credible ambassador/spokesperson who speaks their language could help inform them of the opportunities available.’ In terms of the community consensus informing the consultant’s report, the role played by Youth Services in recent history was not incorporated into it. As noted elsewhere: ‘Youth workers have made significant contributions to the development of

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live music in Wollongong. They have comprised the backbone of development work in all ages live music culture since (at least) the 1990s, but despite undertaking what might be described as laying cultural “groundwork” for live music culture in Wollongong’ (Carr, 2013d).

Recommendation 5: It is recommended the roles of youth workers be included in the background section of the report in order to provide fuller context and recognition of the breadth of commitment to supporting live music at the grassroots level.

Training

Recommendation 6: Council to initiate an Event Organiser Training Program David de Santi from Illawarra Folk Festival makes the recommendation (see Appendix 3) for Council to initiate an Event Organiser Training Program; specifically

‘I believe we need to be encouraging/training/mentoring event organisers. I see a distinct lack of people experienced/willing to be involved in event organising. I have had a number of persons help out with the Folk Festival who have been enthusiastic but then do not follow through. Maybe it's a lack of confidence or acquired skills. Anyway I think if we could develop a program to develop these type of people then the City would be much better off’.

Adam Jordan from Main Street Studios also suggests training would assist in facilitating a stronger sector base. He states: ‘I have done a lot to guide bands in terms of working with them through promotion, and the professionalism of bands to become better self-marketers. Council should focus on developing better skills in these kinds of areas. What about giving youth service and studios with a record of training (e.g. Main Street) the resources to conduct workshops and training?’

Broadening the historical and social context of Wollongong live music culture The Literature Review (Wardle, 2014, p. 9) and references are absent scholarly contributions and analytical articles in media that discuss specifically the live music sector in Wollongong, its history, dynamics and challenges. While Steel City Sounds website (which is not a scholarly/analytical source but an online “archive” of source materials) and an Honors thesis by Gallan (2010) are mentioned, it is not evident how their content is drawn on or cited and with what purpose. A reading of peer-reviewed publications by Gallan (2012) and Carr (2013d; 2014) among others cited in the reference list affixed to this submission would have given the report a more in-depth perspective on what strategies have been tried in the past and how the action plan may have improved upon or avoided doubling-up on previous strategies. These works would have provided the policy capital necessary to understand and respond intuitively to existing social and cultural “flows” within the community, local values systems and local identities which have driven policy change and effected the delivery of outcomes. The tokenistic sentiment of some of the action plan proposals (e.g. ‘encourage the

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music sector to meet regularly at a live music venue to investigate issues facing the live music scene in Wollongong’) exemplifies the need for a greater understanding of the successes and shortcomings of past music sector development strategies. Foreseeable is that this renders it likely that community members may view the action plan as a weak response by council lacking any serious commitments to sector enhancement beyond regulatory reform, and not progressive (though it is not necessarily regressive). As Ben Hession (Appendix 3) from VOX FM has commented, in response to the report: ‘a stronger case could have been made for the history and the heritage of the local music scene which has produced a range of well regarded performers from Tumbleweed and Infusion to Anthony Warlow and Richard Tognetti. I think if people are aware of the depth of talent that Wollongong has produced, it might lend more credence for Wollongong City Council to maintain and nurture the scene.’4

Recommendation 7: It is recommended the report recognise – at least in the background section - in greater detail the depth of the history of the music scene generally, as well as the history of advocacy, strategies that have been tried in the past to improve the music sector, and the benefits of these to the community and in terms of empowering and supporting musicians.

The report should note that advocacy and sector development strategies have been broad based and not the work of just a few individuals. This broad historical knowledge and the public visibility of these stories are crucial for community members advocating in terms of gaining a voice and recognition in planning, for being “heard” and consulted, and recognised as stakeholders. The background and context for live music advocacy in Wollongong (according to the Wardle report) began in 2011 with the State of the Music Scene Forum. This is not an accurate depiction of the diversity of long-term efforts of local community members who ought to be (or ought to have been) recognised and consulted in the writing of the report and the action plan (most of whom were not consulted). The depth of this rich community history is noted in Carr (2013c);

‘live music advocacy is not new to Wollongong, a city with a history of community members fighting for live music much more extensive than has been acknowledged. There are a few milestones in particular that are worthy of note. But where do we start? And who or what episodes epitomise live music advocacy in Wollongong - the youth workers, promoters, venue owners, independent street press/e-zines, music stores, the musicians themselves? … Countless community members have worked towards supporting the survival of live music in Wollongong. Zondrae King’s role in fostering live music culture in the 1960s … Advocacy by a local aldermen played an important part [in supporting the 1970] Festival of Rock [which] almost didn’t happen… in the late 1990s a cohort of musicians met regularly at the Oxford Tavern as part of the Wollongong Original Music Industry Association (WOMIA) … A later incarnation of this musicians’ association in the early-mid 2000s was the Wollongong Music Round Table (WMRT) [which] worked with Council in developing all ages live music culture, and produced a legal poster walls proposal among other initiatives. Another notable case of music advocacy was that undertaken by Kristy Newton who led the charge in 2005 to save the Oxford Tavern from development next door… Nathan Burling’s film The Occy: A Doco (2012) is an important work advocating the community’s mood and strong ties to music spaces.’

4 Emphasis added

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Gallan (2012, p. 35) further notes how the Oxford Tavern ‘was associated with local meanings of what it meant to play and support local music a place to drink, socialise, dance, mosh, sing and belong.’ Advocacy reflects how local musicians have expressed their desires for certainty and continuity in Wollongong, and their activities have brought grassroots desires and needs to the attention of councillors for a much longer period of time and in more complex ways deserving recognition in the report. The report might further incorporate recognition of

‘an initiative led by a cohort of youth workers – which, at one time, included myself - named the Wollongong Music Round Table (WMRT). An incorporated musicians association, the organisation generated a sizeable all-ages membership and hosted regular meetings in the beer garden of the Oxford Tavern between 2003 and 2007. These youth workers alongside community volunteers worked towards the betterment of the music community as a whole during the last decade of the Oxford Tavern operating as a live music venue. The spirit in which community advocates cooperated in supporting live music in Wollongong parallels the city’s industrial history - a story in which community members have continued to collectivise their efforts as a means of survival’ (Carr, 2013d).

Contribution to dialogue on these issues extends to film making. The first public screening of ‘The Occy’ in November 2011 at The Patch hotel resulted in a full house turnout attended by around 200 local musicians (Langford, 2011). As noted in Carr (2013d):

‘The subjects interviewed in these films – most are local musicians providing “insider” knowledge about their communities - are revealed as coming to terms with and negotiating their individual and collective relations with historical forces through their respective cultural activities. Rock music is their vehicle of expression for resistance to change. It emerges as their community’s collective flagship for attaining a sense of certainty and cohesiveness’.

The Occy’s chronological narrative highlights the deeds of community heroes including a succession of local band bookers working to nurture and promote local live music at the Oxford Tavern. It showcases several decades of musical tradition in Wollongong, ‘drawing attention to the challenges faced by community members living in a city undergoing rifts of economic change’ (Carr, 2013d). It is recommended that the report incorporates these contextual influences at least into the background section.

Recommendation 8: Special mention ought to be made of Jack Tickner’s role in the establishment of the taskforce in 2013. He is currently absent from the ‘background’ section of the report.

Greater consideration of the LGA, its history and the policy context needed

Recommendation 9: The report and action plan need to recognize and compensate for the social and political context in Wollongong and how these aspects may impede the success of the roll out of the action plan that is proposed. The action plan needs to, explicitly and/or implicitly, provide

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specific guidance to countenance top-down bureaucratic pressures which may limit its success.

Crucially the report has not referenced any of the ICAC material in the background section, nor has it consulted existing scholarly works and analysis of this issue. This is important because the action plan needs to account for the impact of what has been described as an entrenched culture of “vertical” planning and administration in Wollongong Council (Robinson, 2013) at the expense of genuine community engagement. The action plan does not compensate for institutional tendencies within Council to “manage” community members rather than “engage” with them, and it needs to deliver formal mechanisms to overcome it. The report does note that the Wollongong Music Round Table has provided an engagement ‘template’ in the past, though this model ultimately relied on volunteers in partnership with youth workers. This model could work but Council would need to assure a contribution of resources. The report recommends that Council provide a place for a live music representative on the Cultural Reference Group, which is a positive step. Although, representation on the Cultural Reference Group provides for participation in future planning and dialogue but in a very limited capacity, considering that community engagement on sector specific issues is not primarily the business of the Reference Group. With these implications in mind, the action plan does not sufficiently compensate for the current consensus within Council on direct engagement i.e. with regard to the dissolution of the Neighbourhood Forums – which have functioned as a space for citizens, some well-informed and some seeking to be informed, to be genuinely and meaningfully engaged by Council (Reyburn, 2013; Gibson, 2012). One commentator writes, with respect to Wollongong City Council:

‘NFs [Neighbourhood Forums] level-out (or “horizontalize”) the “vertical” power structure that is increasingly being implemented by senior management. They can hortizontalize the process because it means putting speed humps in the way the management’s plans for “getting on with the job”, doing things more quickly, and with less questions. The NFs are full of experienced and many retired public planners and people. Perhaps herein lies the friction, because NF’s not only draw questions of senior management’s expertise and knowledge but also their credentials and career aspirations.’ (Robinson, 2013)

In response to action plan Section 3.5.2, though a positive suggestion the music sector doesn't need encouragement from council to ‘meet regularly at a live music venue to investigate issues facing the live music scene in Wollongong.’ A much longer history overlooked in the report includes consistent meetings, forums and advocacy for many years, and notably the example set by the WMRT which met regularly at a local venue. With an established track record of these activities being led by the community already,

Recommendation 10 is to recognize that the sector needs instead direct investment and resourcing of these existing initiatives. This includes the establishment of a Live Music Office as suggested in the Live Music Accord.

A resource sharing initiative would be conducive given the current financial situation

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of council as well – by which a community stakeholders could provide resources and representatives to co-coordinate the forums. This would be similar to an arrangement in which Youth Services worked in conjunction with the WMRT in the past.

Recommendation 11: It is recommended Council provision shared “ownership” of live music forums to develop a genuine dialogue and sense of partnership between council and community.

Recognition of diversity and equitability

Recommendation 12: It is recommended that the report and action plan state more clearly how they will ensure greater recognition of diversity in the live music sector and that policy development is equitable.

Alex Masso (2011) has noted the importance of recognising diversity and “horizontal” flows (e.g. community trends and politics) in planning:

‘[there are] two very different groups of musicians and music lovers in Wollongong have similar and parallel concerns. I use the terms “alternative music” and “community music” here for convenience rather than accuracy because the two forums held earlier this year represent different areas of musical activity but these terms are a very broad description. There are genres of music which aren’t included; neither forum really dealt with professional classical music or jazz performance, for example.’

It is important to recognize the diversity in the report in order to ensure equity in the delivery of the action plan. Some voices in the community, to elaborate, have consistently been “louder” than others at the expense of progressive developments in cultural and evening economy policy. This is in one sense with respect to the kind of fierce identity politics associated with local music spaces (Carr, 2013a). Radar Illawarra has described a minor history of ‘Fracturing, disputes and meanness’ in regards to newcomers, entrepreneurs and promoters in the local music scene following their attempts to develop new forms of music appreciation and activities (Butler, 2012). Moreover live music advocacy strategies have faced counter-intuitive pressures in some sections of the community including from the business sector and residents. The dominance of some nightclubs as competitors for audiences needs to be taken into account. Further, at a Neighbourhood Forum 5 meeting in 2013, inner-city residents motioned in favour of stricter DAs, earlier closing times and the limiting of noise from night spaces (Thompson, 2013).

Effecting an improvement in police-community relations The Taskforce was generally viewed to be a positive exercise by stakeholders. Through increased dialogue and the public profile of the taskforce, the initiative had improved relations between police, venues and the broader community. No venues (according to stakeholder and anecdotal feedback) have experienced negative relations with police since the establishment of the taskforce.


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“I believe it was vital to have the Police involved to ensure the process was inclusive of the main stakeholders.”

“The police rep seemed to say what would be expected of them - what would be nice is to hear an actual acknowledgement from the police about the beneficial aspects of music making late at night.”

“it was good to get the perspective of police. …I think that there has been a more tolerant attitude from the police since the Task Force commence. I have not heard of any negative reports from the Rad Bar.”

“As far as the Illawarra Folk Club concerts held in City Diggers Wollongong we do not have any issues with Council or Police.”


“Yep for sure. They have an understanding that live music is important to the city now. Not just people who like live music.”

N/A I have always thought that their agenda has been to provide a safe environment for people. They have said to me on many occasions that they want to see a vibrant night life in Wollongong. Any issues they have had with the public, have simply been from people not obeying the law, e.g. street drinking, over-crowding. This is fairly black and white and I generally I find that those people who have complained about the police are generally the law-breakers. If you have a venue that is licenced to hold 50 people, then you can expect to attract police attention if you overcrowd. In the case of the smaller bars in the CBD, if people drink on the street, the venue can expect to gain attention.

N/A

Understanding night spaces in context: trust, policing and live music Community trust has been shaken by police in the last several years – firstly by the misuse and leaking of Council’s CCTV footage of the city centre by police (which appears to have legitimated heavy handed approaches by police towards venues and public attitudes that the City Centre is “unsafe”) (Carr, 2014); and then by repeated closures of live music venues on grounds of outdated regulations (i.e. PoPE licenses). By the same measure, police culture does appear to be changing, evidenced by the fact that no live music venues have been closed or fined since the taskforce was announced. Continuing dialogue between police, musicians and venues is required to ensure better outcomes for the community and the success of the proposed live music action plan. The 2012 State of the Music Scene Forum was the first public forum to initiate such dialogue. Council should be encouraged to support and resource the Forum having delivered positive outcomes so far. The taskforce provided the opportunity for police to come together with stakeholders to envisage new mechanisms for enhancing community safety in a way that was relevant in particular to small bars and venues, and more importantly open much needed lines of communication for the first time (Carr, 2013a). As the report proposes, joining the Liquor Accord is one way venue owners might be able to resolve some of their issues with police. The report nevertheless needs to clearly articulate that there have been negative experiences subsequent of police culture in Wollongong. The action plan’s call for venue operators to join the Liquor Accord seems to place the onus for correcting night spaces behaviour primarily on venues and the public. Re-establishing a positive relationship between police and night space

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users and venues requires openness and understanding about past practice in order for those practices to be avoided in the future.

Recommendation 13: Concise measures in the action plan are needed which stipulate that police will continue engaging the live music sector on an ongoing basis both in and outside of the Liquor Accord, and define the ways in which that can occur. Recommendation 14: It is further recommended Council undertake steps to monitor music events and seek interactive feed back from police, neighbours and patrons where appropriate.

‘Changing perceptions’ The report’s emphasis on changing perceptions may have underestimated how difficult this may be. In the report, Section 2.1.3 focuses on ‘Safety, Perceptions and Evening Economy’. It should be noted in this section that there has been quite a history of media negativity about the City Centre.5 Council ought to consider in particular the implications of popular media discourse about the CBD being portrayed as an ‘enclave of scumbags’ (Shields, 2012) and the popularity of social media such as the Facebook group ‘Move the junkies out of the Wollongong Mall & CBD’ which currently has an online membership in excess of 5,900. Moreover, the report ought to have promoted the need for Council to move beyond the existing approach to “managing” problems in the city centre which may undermine its efforts to change perceptions, and which sends mixed messages to the community about what city centre space is for and how culture is being enabled within it (as opposed to being “dispersed” from it). Studies show consistently that the “dispersal” attitude of city centre managers (in concert with police) continues to be one that defers to false, exaggerated and populist perceptions about the extent of crime.6 There is no counter solution proposed in the action plan to redress the core ideological shortcomings of default crime prevention and “perception correction” strategies. It is recommended that

Recommendation 15: The report should emphasize Council’s capacities for spending more time and resources investing in an increased sense of community ownership of public space rather than deferring to “dispersal” strategies

which have little to do with facilitating culture in the City Centre and are more concerned with the task of “managing” a problem and “correcting perceptions”. An increased sense of community ownership of night spaces has been effective, according to various studies, at improving public safety.

Parity: the proposed ‘Live Music Accord’ and the live music action plan As noted in-session during Council’s meeting to establish the Taskforce, and during 5 For examples see Shields, 2012; Channel Ten News, 2011; Illawarra Mercury, 2013; Carr and Burrows, 2012. 6 See case studies as discussed in regards to “dispersal” centred community safety strategies in Coleman, 2004; Taylor, 2010; and Carr, 2014.

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consultations with the community who was in the process of preparing a draft Live Music Accord in 2012-2013, Cr Ann Martin stated that the Accord or its essence could be “dovetailed” into the Cultural Plan as a ‘Live Music Protocol’.

Recommendation 16: It is recommended that Council commit to the Live Music Accord and that this be formally incorporated into the live music action plan.

By adopting the Accord, Council will be able to provide strong evidence of its commitment to community engagement in the live music sector. The Accord outlines (see Appendix 4) a commitment by the stakeholders to and addresses a range of issues facing the live music scene (partially listed below). A rating has been given against each of these commitments with respect to how the live music action plan has incorporated these directly or in principle: 1) failed to align; 2) partially aligned; 3) mostly aligned; 4) exceedingly aligned.

• Commitment to the Preservation of live music venues as cultural space

Rating: 4) exceedingly aligned. • Commitment to the Diversity of live music styles and genres

Rating: 2) partially aligned. The action plan displays a lack of recognition and appreciation for the diversity and expanse of music spaces beyond formal peformance venues, though the mapping exercise is useful in terms of a “beginning” of a conversation to this end.

• A Strategic Commitment to Funding by Council and other levels of government

Rating: 1) failed to align; 2) partially aligned

• A Recognition of the Needs of Policing in ensuring crowd and community safety

4) exceedingly aligned.

• A Part of Council’s Long Term Vision

To be determined upon implementation of the new Cultural Plan.

• Part of the City’s Economic Plan which recognises the value of the night time

economy of Wollongong

2) partially aligned; 3) mostly aligned. More research is required on the live music economy as noted in the report.

• Commitment to Support New Ventures: increasing the chances of success rather than

hindering new live music ventures, venues and spaces

2) partially aligned; 3) mostly aligned

• Commitment to Support Young People and initiatives for youth to become involved in live music culture

1) failed to align; 2) partially aligned.

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• Commitment to Increase Music Production in terms of the output of recordings and song writing by bands and musical artists

1) failed to align

• Commitment to Enhance Opportunities for performing and touring

1) failed to align; 2) partially aligned

• Commitment to Nurturing Young Talent in Music, Media and Affiliated Sectors and

assistance to the thousands of young graphic designers, artists, journalists and media students graduating from the University and TAFE

1) failed to align

• Commitment to Developing a Major Live Music Festival that brings substantial

income to the city and its musicians and provides opportunities to showcase locally produced music

3) mostly aligned.

Other points stipulated within the Accord included ‘The commitment is to improve the profile of Wollongong, through music; creative industries are established and fostered; community safety is improved; the visibility of our cultural diversity is increased; access and participation is increased; and the sense of community is increased.’ The action plan will do much in terms of providing opportunities for these factors to be enhanced. Still, as stakeholders have noted the proposed action plan is only the “beginning” of the pathway towards achieving these outcomes.

Recommendation 17: The action plan requires further refining to align more strategically with the outcomes specified in the Live Music Accord.

The Accord also called for ‘the establishment of a new position – ‘Live Music Development Officer’. The action plan does not state specifically that this is a necessary step although conceivable the action might plant the seeds for this to happen depending on whether a budget is provided by council following adoption of the Cultural Plan. A Live Music Officer role is vital to the success of the action plan. It would need to be a specialised (or ‘Special Projects’) role traversing youth services, community engagement, community safety and cultural services.

Process and pecuniary interests The report states (p. 8) ‘The Wollongong Taskforce was directly informed by the City of Sydney Taskforce terms of reference. Wollongong City Council adopted the “Taskforce” model specifically as an efficient process.’ The founding rationale for the Terms of Reference and the shortcomings subsequent of them explain why the taskforce lacked more uniquely “localised” objectives and deferred to the framework provided by the “Sydney model”. Processes that are transparent, engaging and inclusive are crucial to the success of community engagement, which is one of the corner stones of the taskforce (Wardle, 2014, p. 9). For local councils, good processes reflect a functioning local democracy in which communities enjoy equity in representation and the sharing of local

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government resources. The Wardle report likewise describes how ‘The wide taskforce recommendations […] identify avenues through which to improve processes, develop resources, and build better relationships between artists, venues, Council and Police’ (p. 5). Having a good process was identified as important in both written and anecdotal community feedback. This is noted where there existed some contention where there may or may not have been procedural oversights. As Nik Russo (Appendix 3) notes: ‘there's a clause [in the taskforce brief] saying that anyone with a pecuniary interest would not be allowed to vote on a decision or something along those lines. Well, that takes out some of the key people trying to make a difference.’ One inference is that this may have been a form of discrimination against certain stakeholders or business operators from participating in the taskforce or participating fully, although the need for a declaration of pecuniary interests is a valid clause within the brief. In the interests of good process, Council’s choice to offer the consultancy through “closed door” tendering (i.e. non publicly advertising for the tender) does raise legitimate questions about the genuineness of the taskforce’s community engagement components and Council’s community engagement principles. Closed door tendering in this instance has raised questions anecdotally about both the limits Council placed on the Terms of Reference (Wardle, 2014, p. 6) and its intent in doing so. Though broad language may allow for flexibility in interpretation, the vagueness of the Terms of Reference seems to be a contributing factor to the shortcomings in the action plan particularly in regards to cultivating audiences and allocating investment. A legitimate concern is that this arrangement undermines a holistic community-wide (or “horizontal”) perspective in planning – the rationale embodied in existing community desires for the implementation of a ‘Live Music Accord’. There are, as noted throughout this submission, shortcomings and inadequacies in the consultant’s report that may have been overcome had a public tendering process been undertaken, though there are many valuable contributions as well particularly with regards to the data on live music spaces.

Recommendation 18: Closed door tendering as a general rule ought to be avoided, and in this instance the risks include tarnishing the taskforce and its credibility in the eyes of the community.

Considering that the report concedes (p. 5) Council is in the process of ensuring long-term ‘financial sustainability’, ironically a competitive tendering process may have led to a more efficient, effective and inclusive action plan being delivered from the taskforce.

Participation and membership of the taskforce Community members were offered the opportunity and privilege to represent the community by applying to be a member of the taskforce. Anecdotal evidence suggests the selection process lacked appropriate and objective oversight, and there was certainly an impression given by Council staff that community members involved in the advocacy which led to the taskforce were not welcomed to participate, despite being knowledgeable on both the policy area and having cultivated over the long term

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an informed perspective of the desires of the music community. This is disappointing and staff could have drawn significantly on the advocates’ experiences and used this to inform the work of the taskforce. The obvious implication is that the taskforce was a politicised process from the beginning with highly mediated objectives; the obvious question is why this was the case. It is also unclear what is meant by ‘observer status’ in the report, what the criteria was for those given observer status, and why this was or was not granted to community members or other stakeholders from Wollongong and outside of the city. The accumulative pattern indicates that the selection process does appear to have been highly subjective, lacking appropriate levels of process and transparency, politicised, and inconsistent in its mediating and design of the taskforce’s outcomes. Nik Russo (Appendix 3) states ‘I was wondering what some taskforce members actually had to do with the process.’ Most members of the taskforce appeared to have had relevant expertise and knowledge to offer which is positive, and the mixture of individuals with backgrounds incorporating experiences outside of the live music sector was promising. It is disappointing that, despite a surge in applications to be involved from the community, some members did not attend meetings more than a few times and on occasion not at all. Ultimately this suggests that the vetting process for selection required greater understanding with regard to assessing the willingness and capacities of an applicant to be involved. Written feedback suggested that participation did not necessarily guarantee the most inclusive form of engagement for community members lacking previous experience in working with Council. Tillman says: ‘It became very much orientated and driven by policy & council terms & lingo, rather than larger ideas or concepts. Very concerned with specific acts or codes etc. and often those who are actually involved in music had no idea what was happening’. This raises the question of why there was an implicit sense of being excluded among taskforce members, and how proactively and how effectively did Council staff and the consultant attempt to provide enough room for these participants to understand the language of planning. Without being proactive in overcoming these forms of exclusion, the process does not become meaningful for those involved and can be interpreted by participants as a way of alienating them altogether.

Grants and other forms of support The primary source of funding for music initiatives in Wollongong is from the NSW Government, though this has been largely in relatively small amounts as noted by the report (p. 32). Disappointing is that the report does not make a recommendation about changing the current grants regime at Council which does not make funds available to small businesses involved in the arts, but are allocated solely to not for profit organisations. The report does state in passing though that other Councils are moving towards project based arts grants rather than solely not for profit organizations. A shift in this direction would benefit live music initiatives greatly, though there is room for considering it is not the business of council to be “bankrolling” the business sector.

Recommendation 19: It is recommended Council allocate a programming budget for live music that incorporates local mixed small business/arts

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initiatives. Claire Roberts (Appendix 3) takes a mixed view: ‘Grants are an ideal way of assisting performers; however, not all of them are capable or interested in putting together a favourable application in order to obtain one. I believe that assistance for performers to apply for grants would be beneficial. I don’t necessarily see it as council’s role to support commercial venues financially. Council’s role is to efficiently assess any applications for new music licences, and ascertain the impact on people living in the vicinity.’

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PART 4: Evaluation and Conclusions

i. Evaluation: the community & stakeholders’ criteria for good outcomes I now refer to the criteria outlined earlier in this submission (see Part 1), which I stated had summarised the community’s expectations and position during the period in which the Terms of Reference for the taskforce were being drafted by council staff and the consultant. Below I have given the report inclusive of its action plan a rating in accordance with these criteria, and which in my view best reflect the qualitative discussion above in Part 3 of this submission. The ratings are as follows: 1) failed to meet this criteria; 2) partially met this criteria; 3) mostly met this criteria; 4) exceeded in this criteria. Criteria:

i) To value community engagement, local traditions, knowledge and networks as these relate to local live music community, and have a transparent membership selection criteria and process

Rating: 1) failed to meet this criteria; 2) partially met this criteria. Local traditions, knowledge and networks were not sought until after the Terms of Reference were established, which were in the view of many in the community too non-specific, vague or incapable of delivering on the most pressing and broad needs of sector. The selection process was not transparent and the internal selection panel lacked appropriate and informed oversight. There was, though, a positive exercise in community engagement involving online media (‘Have Your Say’).

ii) The Taskforce to be an opportunity for building stronger rapport between

local government and the community Rating: 3) mostly met this criteria; 4) exceeded in this criteria. iii) The Taskforce be a spearhead for cultural development and not just about

DAs and venue regulation

Rating: 2) partially met this criteria. Sufficient emphasis on cultural development and audience growth was not met, though the focus on regulation was necessary.

iv) The Taskforce be “community led”, rather than being a top down extension

of the arms of Council bureaucracy, and to make recommendations that respond to both the community's needs and the city's 2022 vision

Rating: 1) failed to meet this criteria; 2) partially met this criteria. With respect to initial support by councillors for the initiative to be “community led”, the evidence suggests the process was heavily mediated by the external consultant and council staff. Aspects of the 2022 vision are evident, however.

v) The Taskforce engage the expertise and input of live music policy experts

Rating: 2) partially met this criteria; 3) mostly met this criteria. John Wardle’s research was adequate (though not exhaustive) in regards to the

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mapping of live music venues. However, the report’s partial over-emphasis on regulation suggests the brief might have been more sufficiently serviced by those with greater expertise in cultural policy and community engagement.

vi) Establishment of partnerships between the Taskforce and key development

and policy organisations including Sydney Live Music Taskforce, Sounds Australia & Music Council of Australia

Rating: 2) partially met this criteria, with respect to the action plan’s encouragement of closer ties with some of these bodies. It is anticipated this can be achieved subsequent to the action plan being endorsed.

ii. Recommendations for More Proactive Commitments from Council Generally, written and anecdotal feedback has expressed the need generally for a greater commitment from Council in terms of policy development, good practice and an increased allocation of resources and direct investment where it is within Council’s capacities to do so. This includes suggestions such as the following:

• Recommendation 20: Younger musicians are being exploited and there is a culture where they have no expectation of pay. It is recommended to include in the live music action plan that Council initiate a commitment to paying live music performers on a city-wide basis and make it a requirement that an appropriate income be provided to performers as a DA condition for venues.

• Recommendation 21: This submission recommends Council adopt a

commitment of implementing the new Cultural Plan by creating a budget for it to be allocated specifically as program money (and as separate to monies allocated to staffing and building).

• Recommendation 22: It is recommended that Council identify a skilled

individual to implement the live music action plan, such as a Live Music Officer or an Arts or Cultural Services Officer.

• Recommendation 23: It is recommended Council reactivate a live music

program at Wollongong Youth Centre.

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REFERENCES Burling, Nathan. (2012). The Occy: A Doco. Wollongong: Go Vegan Productions. 2012. Burrows, Scott. (2011/2012) ‘Unemployment in the Illawarra Region: Understanding its Historical Trajectory and Legacy.’ Illawarra Unity: Journal of the Illawarra Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History 11, no. 1, pp. 51-66. Burrows, Scott. (2010). ‘Youth Unemployment in the Illawarra Region.” Journal of Australian Political Economy 65, pp. 88-105. Butler, Josh, ‘OPINION: Fracturing, disputes and meanness don’t help anyone’, Radar Illawarra, 11th May 2012. URL: http://radarillawarra.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/opinion-fracturing-and-disputes-dont-help-anyone/ Carr, Robert (2013).

a. ‘Could This Be the Turning Point? From Yours & Owls to the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce’, Illawarra News, 24 June 2013.

b. ‘“On the Road to the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce.” Music in Communities Network’, Music Council of Australia. 14th March. http://musicincommunities.org.au/news/mentors-blog/650-on-the-road-to-the-wollongong-live-music-taskforce

c. ‘OPINION: Council's CCTV footage owned by the public’, The Illawarra Mercury (Fairfax Newspapers), 13th February, URL: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1297157/councils-cctv-footage-owned-by-the-public/?cs=12 d. ‘Rockumentary and Collective Memory: A Comparative Study of Hype and The Occy: A Doco’, in K. Morey, ed. Bringing History to Life through Film, History and Film Series, Scarecrow Press.

Carr, Robert. (2014). ‘Surveillance Politics and Local Government: A National Survey of Federal Funding for CCTV in Australia’, Security Journal (United Kingdom). Carr, Robert and Burrows, Scott. (2012). '"An Enclave of Scumbags": Uncertainty, Unemployment and Branding Perceptions of Wollongong City Centre' (Conference Paper). Regional People, Regional Voices: Community Democracy and Local Government, University of Wollongong, 19 June. Channel Ten News. (2011). Out of Control. 17 February. URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19lKCHQhEMQ&feature=related, accessed 8 August 2013. Coleman, Roy. (2004). Watching the Degenerate: Street Camera Surveillance and Urban Regeneration. Local Economy. 19 (3). August: 199–211. Gallan, Ben. (2012). ‘“Gatekeeping Night Spaces: the role of booking agents in creating ‘local’ live music venues and scenes”’, Australian Geographer 43, no. 1, pp. 35-50. Gibson, Chris. 'Music festivals: transformations in non-metropolitan places, and in creative work', Media International Australia 123, May 2007. Gibson, C. and Stewart, A. (2009). Reinventing Rural Places: The Extent and Significance of Rural and Regional Festivals in Australia, University of Wollongong, Wollongong. Gibson, C. and Connell, J. (2012). Music Festivals and Regional Development in Australia, Ashgate,

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Farnham. Gibson, C. and Connell, J. (eds) (2011) Festival Places: Revitalising Rural Australia, Channel View, Bristol. Gibson, C., Gallan, B. & Warren, A. (2012). ‘Engaging creative communities in an industrial city setting. Gateways’. International Journal of Community Research and Engagement, 5(1), pp.1-15. Gibson, Graeme (2012). Beyond Fear and Loathing: Local Politics at Work, Palmer-Higgs. Illawarra Mercury. (2013a) Debate rages over council CCTV footage. 13 February, http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1297159/debate-rages-over-council-cctv-footage/, accessed 6th August 2013. Illawarra Mercury. (2013b) OPINION: Vandals should not be allowed privacy; Response to Dr Carr’s letter. 13 February, http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1297158/vandals-should-not-be allowed-privacy/?cs=300, accessed 6 August 2013. Langford, Ben. (2011). ‘“Occy doco a blast from Wollongong's live musical past.”’ Illawarra Mercury. 12 November, p. 27. Masso, Alex. (2011). ‘Wollongong's Music Scene – Parallels’, Alex Masso Blog, 19th August. URL: http://alexmasso.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/wollongongs-music-scene-parallels.html Reyburn, Bruce, (2013). ‘Where Did Our N'Hood Forums Go? Building New Forms of Neighbourhood Governance’, Illawarra News, 14th April. URL: http://illawarranews.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/where-did-our-nhood-forums-go-building.html Robinson, Ray (2013), ‘The Great ‘Debacle of the Accounts’ - A Ratepayers & Laymen’s Guide to W’gong Council’s Financial ‘Black Hole’, Illawarra News, 26th October. URL: http://illawarranews.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/the-great-debacle-of-accounts.html Robinson, Ray (2014). ‘Storming The Citadels of Tammany Hall – The Mouse that Roared’. Illawarra News, 19th February. URL: http://illawarranews.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/storming-citadels-of-tammany-hall-mouse.html Shields, Bevan (2012), ‘Wollongong residents' negative view of city’, Illawarra Mercury, 20th May. URL: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/113330/wollongong-residents-negative-view-of-city/ Taylor, E. (2010). Evaluating CCTV: Why the findings are inconsistent, inconclusive and ultimately irrelevant. Crime Prevention and Community Safety. 12 (4): 209-232. Thompson, Angela. (2013) ‘Gong residents want “noisy bar” controlled’, Illawarra Mercury, 6th March. URL: http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/1343843/gong-residents-want-noisy-bar-controlled/ Wardle, John (2014) Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report. (for Wollongong City Council). URL: http://haveyoursaywollongong.com.au/cultural-plan-exhibition/documents Wilson, Helen (2014).

a. ‘Who is Wollongong’s Town Hall For?’, Illawarra News, 5 January. URL: http://illawarranews.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/who-is-wollongongs-town-hall-for.html

b. ‘Bulli Showground: Wollongong's best available festival site?’, 26th February. URL: http://illawarranews.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/bulli-showground-wollongongs-best.html

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APPENDIX 1 – The Survey Questions 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report?7 2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/musicians/stakeholders? 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? 4. How can venues, musicians etc. be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (e.g. financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc.) 5. Were there any issues with the Taskforce process you would like to mention, if aware? 6. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce? 7. Did the experience of the Taskforce match or exceed your expectations? Did it achieve what you thought if could have achieved? 8. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music and the music sector?

7 The survey questions were selected on the basis of ‘open-ended’ surveying methods appropriate for qualitative analysis in academic studies. The survey is not exhaustive in terms of being a reflection of the entirety of stakeholders in the community. Nevertheless, the results should be considered as indicative of a broad consensus of stakeholders. It should be recognised that the lack of time available to digest the report during the exhibition period significantly limited the amount of feedback that could be obtained from the community.

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APPENDIX 2 – List of Community Members & Stakeholders Who Contributed Written Feedback to This Submission Adam Jordan, Main Street Studios, Fairy Meadow Anna Chaplin, Chaplin Arts, musician Ben Hession, Vox FM Community Radio Ben Tillman, venue operator, Rad (formerly Yours & Owls) Brett Williams, musician, researcher at University of Wollongong Claire Roberts, Manager, Wollongong Town Hall

David de Santi, Director, Illawarra Folk Festival

Nik Russo, musician, researcher at University of Wollongong

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APPENDIX 3 - Community and Stakeholder Written Contributions 1. David De Santi – Director, Illawarra Folk Festival Comments: Section 1.1 report 1st paragraph says: range of important issues that were considered to have impacted negatively on the local music scene Not sure if this is relevant to the Folk Festival? Our 'negative' issues are related to the quality of the venue at Bulli Showground as our site. Is this addressed in the report? As far as the Illawarra Folk Club concerts held in City Diggers Wollongong we do not have any issues with Council or Police. ======================= Of these comments only the third is slighlty relevant to the Folk Festival? • Investigate City planning controls to identify how these instruments can promote the development of the live music sector and City centre revitalisation. • Optimising processes and hiring policies for accessing Council venues. • Promoting Wollongong as a safe and creative City. The festival is course an amazing creative event! ======================= An overall comment : Am not sure how the Taskforce recommendations will assist the promotion of folk music in Wollongong? Any enlightenment? ======================= Section 1.11, Table 1 talks about gigs in December The Illawarra Folk Club does not have concerts in December as it usually is preparing for the Folk Festival. So have statistics for December is a not a good cross-section for the report? Wouldn't a study over a few months have provided a more balanced view? ======================= Also I haven't seen any mention of the Wongawilli Bush Dance held weekly for acoustic folk musicians since 1984. As this is not a commercial venture / venue it does not rate? Neil would have been aware of it. It's format is simple - musicians invited to be part of the band to have a social evening of music sharing while playing for dancers. Also we host gigs every so often for touring international artists, more recently we had Kalascima from Italy, London Klezmer Quartet from UK ======================= Section 2.1.4 Marketing and Promotion • Agree that we could do with more assistance with this for the Folk Festival and Folk Club concerts. • What we lack is a resource / person to assist in doing this. At the moment the majoirty of this

workloads ends up with me for the Folk Festival, Folk Club and Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club events.

The current system for adding events to the Destination Wollongong website calendar is to cumbersome and I have avoided it! ============= Section 2.1.9 noted this comment: however it notes that other Councils are moving towards project based arts grants rather than solely not for profit organisations, as well as having other precedents for sport and recreation grants and programs for under 18’s.

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Is this suggesting that Council grants should be considered for other than not for profit organisations - and include sport and recreation grants? ================ Section 2.1.10 It is nice to include the Folk Festival as an example of the type of event that can benefit the region. However I am curious as to the concept to run 'a contemporary music festival' It would be interesting to see what support this sort of event would receive / expect. The Folk Festival happens because of a dedicated bunch of people who volunteer time and the fact that there is an entity called the Illawarra Folk Club Inc (non-profit incorporated association - which is not mentioned). It would nice to be considered to receive support with paid organisers ahead of a new festival? Or is there an expectation that we would keep doing it while others can profit? A sense of equality and consideration would be nice. ========= Section 2.1.12 The Folk Festival presents a 2 day Folk Music School targeted at empowering / educating young budding folk and acoustic musicians. Also we encourage these young performers with the Young Traditions Awards and concerts. Not all young musicians want to be in contemporary music bands... The festival also encouranges attendance of Youth (with their paying parents) - same policy as Woodford FF and other festivals See: http://illawarrafolkfestival.com.au/youth-ticket-policy ============ Suggestion - Event Organiser Training Program I have one suggestion which I am not sure is covered and not sure how it would fit in. I believe we need to be encouraging / training / mentoring event organisers. I see a distinct lack of people experienced / willing to be involved in event organising. I have had a number of persons help out with the Folk Festival who have been enthusiastic but then do not follow through. Maybe it's a lack of confidence or acquired skills. Anyway I think if we could develop a program to develop these type of people then the City would be much better off

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2. Anna Chaplin, Director, Chaplin Arts I'm grateful there was even a report to begin with, and I think before we decide to rip things to shreds - we should be grateful there's an effort to support our growing and changing scene. That being said, I, like many of my colleagues felt a bit left out as we were all very busy this past year and didn't feel the scene was adequately represented. I was grateful I was mentioned at all as many people whom I know to be very important in our scene weren't listed in any of the sections. I was running two different weekly Open Mic's in December, one that was All-Ages and one for Adults (I've been doing my open mics now for over a year). I was also doing a couple projects whilst managing a successful local band and running a Singing Studio. The bottom line is we all need to communicate more. Things like community funding, support, networking, etc. could be argued as a natural process of true collaboration. If we were talking about our plans, we could perhaps gain some momentum. Therefore, I should say, the only people we have to blame for a less than happy result with the report is ourselves. Next time, if there is a next time, we all need to be involved, otherwise - do we really have a leg to stand on?

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3. Brett Williams, musician and UOW Reseacher Responses to survey as follows: 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report? I think overall the Report is a good document which outlines the current issues and provides dialogue on some potential solutions. I particularly commend the recommendation to include the provision of live music & evening economy information on s149 certificates. The only weakness I can think of is that there appears to be a lack of distinction on how community versus commercial interests are represented – i.e. should the focus be on improving the scene from the perspective of music as an artform, or as a commercial endeavour, or both? 2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/musicians/stakeholders? I believe the report generally represents a broad cross-section of stakeholders – it would be difficult to ensure everyone is covered, however some potential stakeholders who do not appear to be represented include musical theatre, buskers, home-based performances, rehearsal spaces and general rehearsal at home (i.e. the garage jam, the beginner’s tuba lessons etc.). 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? I can’t think of anything off the top of my head that hasn’t been mentioned in any of my other answers. 4. How can venues, musicians etc. be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (e.g. financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc.) I believe Council’s best role would be assistance in planning & compliance matters – whilst Council officers shouldn’t be expected to run a charity, perhaps small grants can be provided to assist in consultant fees for services such as acoustic testing, planning advice, development of traffic control plans etc. 5. Were there any issues with the Taskforce process you would like to mention, if aware? The suggestion to remove the requirement for DAs to be lodged for events on Crown or Council land is a bit surprising – I assume this could only be implemented if a comprehensive guideline document and alternative (i.e. non-DA) approval process was facilitated by Council policy. The impacts of events on the greater public should require some form of approval process to ensure appropriate consideration of the best interests of the broad community has been made. 6. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce? I believe it was vital to have the Police involved to ensure the process was inclusive of the main stakeholders. As I do not frequent the scene much these days I do not have an opinion either way of any change in approach. 7. Did the experience of the Taskforce match or exceed your expectations? Did it achieve

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what you thought if could have achieved? The information outlined in the report makes me feel that my expectations have been exceeded. It is good to see Council support this initiative, as often with volunteer-led activities such as this the initial wave of interest dies off quickly and only a handful of dedicated people are left to put a lot of time into such pursuits. The number and diversity of stakeholders outlined in the Report indicates a wide-array of opinions and interests have been represented in this process. 8. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music and the music sector? As mentioned in Q4, I believe Council can provide planning & compliance advice by engaging directly with venue operators and event organisers (especially community & not-for-profit ventures) – by supporting the mechanisms to develop a strong music scene I believe can be a positive PR exercise for Council across a broad section of the general community.

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4. Adam Jordan, owner of Main Street Studios You’ve heard of supply and demand, everyone has. My thoughts are that there are enough regular venues in Wollongong. The people wanting more venues are the bands so they can play. Does a company make more of a product just because they like it? No, the public has to want it. There isn’t enough audience, I’ve said that all along. I’ve always said the Taskforce needs to be looking at factors to make people want to see bands. Wollongong audiences consist of other bands, friends and family. Wollongong isn’t interested in seeing new bands or out of town bands except those that fill the Entertainment Centre. We’re snobs and elitists, but not unable to appreciate good music when we see it, which isn't lacking as far as Wollongong bands are concerned. Wollongong doesn’t need more venues. The bands would like more places to play but there are enough venues. This makes me wonder why the Live Music Taskforce focused mainly on venue issues when it should have been concentrating more so on getting punters to shows and building audiences. The Action Plan is tokenistic in regard to audience development and the plan should have prioritised growth in crowds and public appreciation of local live music. Although there have been regulation issues which do need addressing, I see a more urgent problem in the Wollongong music scene is the need for greater interest in going to see local bands and buying their CDs. I have done a lot to guide bands in terms of working with them through promotion, and the professionalism of bands to become better self-marketers. Council should focus on developing better skills in these kinds of areas. What about giving youth service and studios with a record of training (e.g. Main Street) the resources to conduct workshops and training? A lot in the Action Plan defaults to “further research” but the community expects more direct action.

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5. Claire Roberts, Musician and Manager, Wollongong Town Hall8 I am speaking from the perspective of Claire Roberts, event manager and performer, with some comments from the point of view of being the manager of the town hall. Summary: I believe that council would benefit from a dedicated person to liaise with all interested parties to implement recommendations in the report. 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report?

I believe the report is thorough. It identifies many of the issues facing venues and musicians. However, I wonder if the report actually addresses one of the main issues brought up by the publican at Howlin’ Wolf. Bands are not attracting patrons in the same way the DJs do. I recall one of the best performances when I was a full-time entertainer, where my audience was hanging on every word I sang and said. A personal triumph, but the bar was down two kegs as people weren’t buying drinks, and consequently, the management wouldn’t book me again. Venues need to make money, and often poker machines and DJs are better venue-makers than live performers.**

2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/ musicians/stakeholders?

Some observations from the point of Town Hall: a. I notice on page 16 of the report that Town Hall was not approached to see how many live music presentations occurred in December 2013. b. There is no mention in the report of the scholarship offered for Titus Grenyer to learn the organ. We offered the organ FOC for the entire year even though we did incur costs. c. We also presented two organ recitals which attracted around 600-700 people 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? a. Wollongong Town Hall has supported many events financially including taking the risk with Yours and Owls events. These are not in the report and I wasn’t approached to offer any data. b. Many musicians in my acquaintance have an expectation that everything should be done for them. They need to be more proactive in promoting events and my observation is that they need to create an act that people are going to want to see. Also, if more musicians consulted with the venues, they would find discover what venues expect from them. (See * and ** below.) 4. How can venues, musicians etc be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (Eg Financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc)

Background to my answer: When I started in the music industry music was a self-sustaining industry; I made a living from music by singing in hotels and clubs and was paid for my expertise. In return, I attracted people to the venue, who then spent money. The formula for a venue manager to hire me was that they needed to make three times the amount they were paying me in order to make it financially viable to book me. As a full-time musician since 8 Disclaimer: I haven’t given this as much time as I would like to as I have been tied up with my own work at town hall in the transition of IPAC taking over the management of the venue, so please take this into account when you are reading this. I have deleted a few of the questions you listed as I was unable to answer them at this point.

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1976, I have an understanding that venues need to make a profit in order to employ musicians, and musicians of my era expect to be paid a fair wage for their expertise.

From speaking to young performers these days, my understanding of the current music industry is quite different. In current times, young bands don’t see performing as a way of making money so a financial incentive doesn’t necessarily have to be offered even though performers should expect come kind of compensation for the expenses they incur. Grants are an ideal way of assisting performers; however, not all of them are capable or interested in putting together a favourable application in order to obtain one. I believe that assistance for performers to apply for grants would be beneficial.

I don’t necessarily see it as council’s role to support commercial venues financially. Council’s role is to efficiently assess any applications for new music licences, and ascertain the impact on people living in the vicinity.

5. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce?

I have been in close touch with the police since becoming licensee of the town hall. From my discussions with them, I have always thought that their agenda has been to provide a safe environment for people. They have said to me on many occasions that they want to see a vibrant night life in Wollongong. Any issues they have had with the public, have simply been from people not obeying the law, e.g. street drinking, over-crowding. This is fairly black and white and I generally I find that those people who have complained about the police are generally the law-breakers. If you have a venue that is licenced to hold 50 people, then you can expect to attract police attention if you overcrowd. In the case of the smaller bars in the CBD, if people drink on the street, the venue can expect to gain attention.

6. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music?

Council could investigate providing rehearsal space in any underutilised spaces away from residential areas, fund equipment maintenance workshops and tutorials on how to successfully gain a grant. The challenge though, is to reach young musicians and speak to them in their own language. Many young performers have no idea that council could be interested in supporting them. The use of social media and the appointment of a credible ambassador/spokesperson who speaks their language could help inform them of the opportunities available. * I posted this article on Facebook and it created some interest.

7 Reasons Why No One’s Coming To Your Shows

Thursday, January 23, 2014 by Ari Herstand 1) You suck

Maybe you’re just not that good. Sorry. Most bands aren’t. Most bands are starry eyed and spend more time bitching about the breaks they’re not getting than in the rehearsal space tightening their show. Get good first. Record your rehearsals AND your shows. Do you LOVE listening to your live set? If not, then why do you think other people will?

I’ve been in the room with bands who listen back to their shows recorded from the board and they actually hear how shitty they sounded. How off key they sang. How the bassist missed the bridge. How the harmonies were off. But they pass it off as a bad board mix. This is sad. Get your shit

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together. Double your rehearsal schedule and double your at-home practice time.

You do not deserve to be paid if you suck. That’s what all these musicians who bitch about how little they are making at live shows miss. Maybe they’re making nothing because they deserve to be paid nothing.

Stop making me pay to see your shitty band!

If you charge me $10 to come see you suck, I’m going to be pissed and never pay again.

People tell me they hate live music. It hurts my soul to hear this. Live music can be spiritual. But too often it’s a chore. A burden. A favour. because bands don’t take performing seriously enough to rehearse.

2) You Play Out Too Damn Often

Even if your favourite band played your city every week, you wouldn’t go see them. You wouldn’t make it a priority because you could always just “catch the next one.”

If you’re great, you can charge a ticket price and people will happily pay.

Spread Out Your Shows I recommend scheduling one big local show every 6-8 weeks. This gives you proper time to promote the show and get some good buzz going.

3) It’s Not An Event

You are not going to get a music reviewer to care about a 4 band bill show on a Wednesday night. You should turn every show into an EVENT. By spreading your shows out, you actually can come up with a theme and title for each show and make it a fun, talked about event.

Title Your Shows I once organized and played a show in Minneapolis (when I was living there) called “The Unknown Order.” I got together 3 other buzzing bands in the city (none of whom had sold out the acclaimed 800 cap Varsity Theatre for any show prior). The idea behind the show was that 10 minutes before the first band started, the emcee would pick a name out of a hat and that would be the first band to play. No one (not even the bands) knew the order of the acts for the evening. After each band finished, the emcee picked another name.

The idea was to get everyone to the club at the start of the show and to put all bands on an equal level – no headliners or openers. The show sold out 10 minutes after doors opened and about 200 people got turned away.

4) You Aren’t Selling Advance Tickets

You always want to try to have advance tickets setup so you can encourage people to buy them and COMMIT to your show. Make them cheaper than the actual door price (if the venue allows this). If you can get hard tickets printed out, try to sell them or ask the local music stores to sell them. It gives people a fun activity to go pick up tickets to your show. But don’t pay to play!Don’t work with shady promoters who give you 50 tickets to sell and if you don’t, you have to pay the difference. This is different. This is working with the venue/promoter to have a packed show.

5) You Think The Venue Will Promote

So many bands believe it’s the venue’s responsibility to do 100% of the promotion for their show. Just getting a show listed on a popular venue’s calendar will not bring people out. You can’t expect venues to promote every show – they just have too many! If 4 bands play their club every night, 6 nights a week, that’s 24 bands (or 6 shows) a week. Similar to how if you played every week people (even your hard core fans) would stop caring, the venue’s loyalists aren’t going to come out every night of the week, or even most nights.

Venues put effort into the shows they know they can sell. If you’re unestablished and unknown why should they put their efforts into promoting you. Once you pack their club, the NEXT time you play, I bet they’ll put a bit more effort into promoting your show – like maybe announcing it on Facebook.

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I’m sure you’ll at least get a Tweet!

6) You Rely Solely On Facebook

People are tired of Facebook events. They get too damn many from too many friends they’ve lost touch with. Of course, Facebook can be a great tool to add to your promo efforts, but it can’t be the ONLY tool you use. Hit the promo from all angles: social media, print posters and flyers, press, radio, sponsorships (like local wine or beer companies are perfect). Inviting all your friends to a Facebook event is only step one.

Print up physical promo materials such as posters and flyers. We live in such a digitized world that receiving an invitation in the physical world is awfully refreshing, especially if it’s given to you by a friend.

7) You Aren’t Going Out Into the World

Weeks leading up to any big show make sure to go out more often. Hit up local shows, big shows, bars, birthday parties that you normally wouldn’t end up attending. Anything. Just get out and talk to more humans in the physical world. It will inevitably come up that you’re a musician (or if they know you they will ask you when your next show is) and you can whip out a flyer and personally invite them.

Don’t be sleazy about it. You can do it in a conversational manner. A personal invitation in person is incredibly effective. Having a professional looking flyer legitimizes the show. You could even follow up with them with a personal Facebook message, email or text message a couple days before the show to remind them (and it won’t seem completely out of the blue).

Step one is to be great, but if you are great then you deserve to play in front of packed houses! Hopefully these 7 steps help bring you closer to a full-time music career.

** There are numerous articles like this on the net. I posted one that caused a bit of controversy on Facebook because many of the musicians who commented were viewing their performances from the point of view of being an artist, not looking at the point of view of the person paying them. So many bands I see in the Illawarra consider themselves to be professional, expect professional wages and then do not act in a professional manner. We have to remember why we are in the venue in the first place; to make money for the venue:

1. Be kind and thankful – this sounds easy enough, but can be tricky at times. The industry has many bumps in the road that will push you into places that are uncomfortable. Remember to be thankful for the opportunity that is ahead of you. ALWAYS be thankful to the venue, producer, promoter, or individual that got you on stage. Make sure you introduce yourself to as many people backstage as you can. Tell the other bands how great their sets were, and how excited you are to play with them. First impressions lead to lasting impressions. 2. Do not ask–Anyone that has ever put on an event knows that there are a million questions that always need answering. You and your band might be the least of a producer’s worries, so try and find a solution to the question you may have before asking it. For example, if you have a sound question, do not ask the producer to find the sound tech; take the initiative and find the sound tech yourself.

1. Do not expect free drinks 2. Do not expect free food 3. Do not expect a sold out venue 4. Do not expect a huge guest list

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5. Do not expect free parking 3. Get off the stage – If you are finishing your set, never ever walk off the stage without your arms full of your equipment. Events are on a timeline that does not circle around your time. Hugs and high fives to other band mates are for after the stage is cleared. 4. The venue is not a storage house – Make sure you come to the event with a plan to get your gear home at night. Remember DO NOT ASK (see subject 2). The last thing a venue manager wants to do is come back to the venue in the morning so the band can get their equipment. 5. Be on time – This is not only for the load in and sound check, but the set time the producer/promoter has given you. DO NOT OVER PLAY, it’s one of the worst things you as a band can do. Make sure you practice a set that is shorter than the time allowed. Make sure that your instruments are in tune before going on stage, and laid out in the way you’re going to play them. Set times always run longer when you’re in front of an audience. Short and sweet will make the audience want more. 6. Do not get drunk -– although this may seem easy, but remember: you are in a bar. All your friends have just watched your set and want to buy you a drink. Make sure at least one of your band members can handle a serious discussion at the end of the night. 7. Do not do an encore – Keep in mind that there are other bands in the night. Do not expect time for an encore. 8. Know the details of the event before doors open – make sure you are clear on all of the show details before it starts. If you are not clear on something, do not expect it to go your way on the day of. It is your responsibility to ask questions and get answers before the event starts, not during!

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6. Ben Tillman, venue/small bar operator RAD (formerly Yours & Owls) 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report? It will make new venues easier to start up. Policy surrounding noise & other elements will make live music more easily integrated into the CBD. Use & stocktake of council buildings is good idea. Restructuring of costs & possibly grants requirements in support of live music projects. Weakness: Is perhaps it focusses to heavily on the venue sector too much & doesn’t consider other industries or infrastructure needed in a music economy, such as record label, touring agencies, bookers & managers. It could perhaps suggest that encouraging already existing music industry personal could be used in council run projects & initiatives rather than either outsourcing elswhere or having unqualified council employees do the work. 2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/musicians/stakeholders? There was a Waves Rep & also myself (Owls & now Rad), so I guess both ends of the spectrum were represented (even if Waves delegate only attended one or two meetings). 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? Support for labels, agencies etc.... possibly also some kind of initiative with the uni, aimed at getting people into live music sectors or at least more interested in going to see bands socially. 4. How can venues, musicians etc. be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (e.g. financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc.) Grants criteria to also suit these endeavors, both arts grants & also economic development grants. Access to council owned buildings. Provide infrastructure they may have access to? i.e. sound equipment, fencing, staging, lighting ?? anything else that may be suitable? Council can also be advertising itself as a live music hub & therefore promoting existing venues etc Australia-wide. 5. Were there any issues with the Taskforce process you would like to mention, if aware? It became very much orientated and driven by policy & council terms & lingo, rather than larger ideas or concepts. Very concerned with specific acts or codes etc... & often those who are actually involved in music had no idea what was happening. It also felt like the certain issues that council or consultants felt were important were focussed on and directed the conversations to talk about these issues. In fairness though, time was limited & I think John did a pretty good job. He tried to let us talk over other ideas, but these were also often squashed if council officials felt they were 'unreasonable' or too difficult. 6. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce? Yep for sure. They have an understanding that live music is important to the city now. Not just people who like live music. 7. Did the experience of the Taskforce match or exceed your expectations? Did it achieve what you thought if could have achieved?

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I had no expectations, but I guess the whole thing overall was a good thing so far, we'll see what it achieves when it goes to council. 8. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music and the music sector? Celebrate it. Make music a feature of the city once a year in some kind of citywide festival i.e. Sydney or Melbourne festival etc.

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7. Nik Russo, Researcher at University of Wollongong, musician 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report? It's strength is the breadth of issues covered that affect music-making in Wollongong. Its weakness is perhaps the power of the recommendations made. How much affect will they have and how will they be addressed by Council and other stakeholders? 2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/musicians/stakeholders? I think there's a pretty good coverage of financial stakeholders - but perhaps less being said by actual musicians who are slogging it out week in and week out. Their views could have perhaps been better heard/addressed. Also, consider the relevance of worrying about whether a club that gets the majority of their income from pokies really needs the help of the council in any way? Shouldn't we be focusing more on the venues and grass-roots organisations that are tying to make something happen from the ground up with virtually no money? 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? I think if the issues addressed in the report are actually addressed, then we're well on the way to making a change for the Wollongong music scene. 4. How can venues, musicians etc. be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (e.g. financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc.) Access to space is a big issue and could be a huge support for musicians. Grants for major events should also be considered. Venues need to have clearer guildelines from Council as to what is and what is not going to work. This has been addressed though, so I hope something comes of it. 5. Were there any issues with the Taskforce process you would like to mention, if aware? I was wondering what some taskforce members actually had to do with the process. Also there's a clause saying that anyone with a pecuniary interest would not be allowed to vote on a decision or something along those lines. Well, that takes out some of the key people trying to make a difference. How can you exclude them from decisions relevant to their businesses? Confusing... 6. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce? The police rep seemed to say what would be expected of them - what would be nice is to hear an actual acknowledgement from the police about the beneficial aspects of music making late at night. 7. Did the experience of the Taskforce match or exceed your expectations? Did it achieve what you thought if could have achieved? Uncertain. It hasn't actually 'achieved' anything yet. They can make recommendations til the cows come home, but it's going to be up to council to take these recommendations seriously and create lasting change and not one initiative that creates a positive headline and then the scene is forgotten the next week... 8. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music and the music sector? The taskforce is a good start, but I think they need to consider the role of the youth market more and not just think that having an 'arts precinct' addresses the inclusiveness of the music scene, whereas what

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needs help is the kind of music services/venues which are LARGELY frequented by youths and not middle-agers or retirees.

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8. Ben Hession, VOX FM Community Radio 1. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Report? I felt that the Report was very thorough, which I believe is what is needed. Perhaps, a stronger case could have been made for the history and the heritage of the local music scene which has produced a range of well regarded performers from Tumbleweed and Infusion to Anthony Warlow and Richard Tognetti. I think if people are aware of the depth of talent that Wollongong has produced, it might lend more credence for Wollongong City Council to maintain and nurture the scene. 2. Are venues, musicians/stakeholders adequately represented in the Report? What else should be mentioned in the report that would assist venues/musicians/stakeholders? I think that venues and other stakeholders were adequately represented. Is the question of the legalities of poster placement an extant issue? 3. What else should be mentioned in the Report about supporting the scene as a whole that was not mentioned? A small quibble I suppose, but VOX FM was not mentioned in Section 2.1.4 of the report as a media outlet. I think that the Station has had a long commitment in promoting the local music scene. 4. How can venues, musicians etc. be better supported in ways that are practical for council to offer? (e.g. financially, grants, access to space, information provision, business incentives etc.) I think grants might be the best way to go. But just as important would be, as recommended in the report, new planning considerations with respect to residential developments in zones which are recognised as live music precincts. I am thinking of making it required that estate agents let prospective property buyers know that they may buying into an area already classified for entertainment - although this may be a State government issue. 5. Were there any issues with the Taskforce process you would like to mention, if aware? All of this appeared to be fine. 6. Was having police on the Taskforce positive? In what ways? Do you think police have changed their approach to dealing with venues since before the Taskforce? I think it was good to get the perspective of police. Ironically I remember being a judge at a band competition held at the Lake Illawarra PCYC. Maybe there needs to be greater encouragement of such initiatives down south by Council. I think that there has been a more tolerant attitude from the police since the Task Force commence. I have not heard of any negative reports from the Rad Bar. 7. Did the experience of the Taskforce match or exceed your expectations? Did it achieve what you thought if could have achieved? I think that the Taskforce has had a positive effect, but the real measure of its success will be how much Council and the Police take on its recommendations. 8. How can council improve its engagement with the community, particularly when it comes to live music and the music sector? I think that the gigs at the Town Hall were a positive sign. Also, if it were to foster more live music initiatives for the young, not at the Wollongong Youth Centres, but at the neighbourhood centres as well - I am not sure if they come under the aegis of the Council, but Council may be able to provide extra resources for live music.

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APPENDIX 4 - Wollongong Live Music Accord (LMA) (Working draft – 4.2.13) Through this Accord, stakeholders including live music venues and associated businesses, artists and the arts community, Local Government, local businesses, Police, and regulatory authorities, commit to the development of live music and creative practice in Wollongong.

a. Policy Context The Accord recognises local, state, national and international policy development to ensure that the role of culture in society is recognised and supported. The Accord:

i. Endorses the vision outlined in the United Cities and Local Governments document “Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development”, including “believing that governance at all levels (local, national and international) should include a strong cultural dimension).i

ii. Endorses the Fourth Cultural Accord between Local and State Government in NSW, asserting that “Local Government recognises creating liveable communities is fundamental to Australia’s social wellbeing, long-term ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity” and that “local creative practise and pursuits by artists and others in communities are central to cultural policy making”.ii

iii. Contributes to the vision set out in Wollongong City Council’s Community Plan, particularly four of the six Community Goals: “Wollongong is a creative, vibrant city”, “We have an innovative and sustainable economy”, “We are a connected and engaged community”, and “We are a healthy community in a liveable city”.iii In particular, the Accord supports the statement that “Our public spaces are activated, exciting and attractive at all times of the day…our communities are working together in partnership to strengthen our community connections…” and refers to Strategy 3.3.2: “The arts precinct in the heart of the city is consolidated and enhanced.”

b. Definitions

i. ‘Live music’ to mean music that is performed by original songwriters in front of an audience. This includes busking and unpaid performances.

ii. ‘Live music venues to mean any venue where original music is performed, be it pubs, “pop up” venues, community centres, youth centres, parks, the Mall etc.

iii. Scope: The Accord shall be applicable to the whole of the Wollongong Local Government Area (LGA)

iv. ‘Stakeholders’ to mean live music venues, local music equipment supply businesses, recording studios, independent music media, NGOs whose activities are relevant to live original music production, and local bands and original songwriters

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c. Documents Consulted in Formulating the Accord [needs research]

- Other council’s policies on live music (?) - State Government policies on culture and the Arts (?) - Anything else?

d. Commitments The Accord outlines a commitment by the stakeholders to and addresses a range of issues facing the live music scene, including:

- Commitment to the Preservation of live music venues as cultural space

- Commitment to the Diversity of live music styles and genres

- A Strategic Commitment to Funding by Council and other levels of government

- A Recognition of the Needs of Policing in ensuring crowd and community safety

- A Part of Council’s Long Term Vision

- Part of the City’s Economic Plan which recognises the value of the night time

economy of Wollongong

- Commitment to Support New Ventures: increasing the chances of success rather

than hindering new live music ventures, venues and spaces

- Commitment to Support Young People and initiatives for youth to become

involved in live music culture

- Commitment to Increase Music Production in terms of the output of recordings

and song writing by bands and musical artists

- Commitment to Enhance Opportunities for performing and touring

- Commitment to Nurturing Young Talent in Music, Media and Affiliated Sectors

and assistance to the thousands of young graphic designers, artists, journalists and

media students graduating from the University and TAFE

- Commitment to Developing a Major Live Music Festival that brings substantial

income to the city and its musicians and provides opportunities to showcase locally

produced music

e. Principles All signatories are committed to the following principles [combine sections d. and e.?]

i. Agree that artistic expression is central to a creative city, and that a creative city contributes significantly to the cultural, social and economic life of Wollongong

ii. Recognise the necessity for the arts community to have designated spaces in which to pursue artistic pursuits and present them to the community and that key

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cultural institutions include Council-owned facilities, live music venues and ever-changing creative spaces.

iii. Recognise that the community interacts in cultural hubs through creative practise, and this supports the continued growth of culture in the local area.

iv. Acknowledge that the significant providers of these necessary spaces are the venue and business operators who facilitate important cultural activity. These venues and business operators commit to respecting the regulations that affect them, and working with Council and other authorities to implement, and where possible improve, the regulatory obligations. v. Recognises that live music’s contribution to cultural life in the city relies on venues and other creative businesses to facilitate creative activities, in much the same way that literary and visual arts make a contribution to cultural life in the city with the support of Council facilities.

vi. Commit to an accessible, safe, sustainable and culturally sensitive live music scene in Wollongong.

vii. Agree that disputes and challenges are approached in the first instance through a “conference model”, where relevant stakeholders meet to discuss issues. iv

viii. Agree to work together to develop and enhance a live music precinct in Wollongong and assert the place of live music in a safe, accessible, viable and culturally vibrant night time economy.

Specifically:

- Council, particularly through its Cultural Services department, supports Wollongong’s arts community in enabling cultural diversity to the people of Wollongong.

- Venue and business operators commit to running safe and legal venues and operations, complying with applicable laws and DAs, and seek to facilitate cultural life in the city in a way that does not compromise safety, licensing or DA regulations.

- Police and regulatory authorities recognise the particular nature and cultural relevance of creative spaces, including live music venues, and enable mutual respect through the Accord and ongoing dialogue.

- In reaching an accord, Wollongong Council, local police, venue and business operators and the arts community will be able to achieve a number of outcomes in the interest of each of the stakeholders mentioned and the Wollongong community as a whole.

- The commitment is to improve the profile of Wollongong, through music; creative

industries are established and fostered; community safety is improved; the visibility of our cultural diversity is increased; access and participation is increased; and the sense of community is increased.

- The commitment will see the establishment of a new position – ‘Live Music

Development Officer (LMDO)’

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[additional notes/clauses - TBC]

1. Cultural diversity 2. Facilitate artistic expression and community engagement 3. Community safety 4. Economic development 5. Promotion of commerce in the Wollongong area 6. Re-establishment of Wollongong as a thriving and nationally influential cultural hub

f. Establishment of a New Position/s: Live Music Development Officer (LMDO) A new staff position/s is to be created titled LMDO. The new position/s will either be housed by Council or accommodated under the auspices of a suitable office outside of Council, or even situated alongside the City Centre team, or in conjunction with the (to be appointed, December 2012) new Manager of Community, Cultural and Economic Development. The position is to be funded through Council, Federal and/or State government, private sector or a combination of funding sources. The LMDO’s job description will generally involve the employment of one or more LMDO’s who will undertake a range of activities in support of the development of the live music scene in the Wollongong LGA. Roles of the LMDO:

i. The LMDO will be someone musicians, venues and other music scene stakeholders can go to liaise with local police about issues, such as those facing venues and spaces where musicians perform and where audiences enjoy live music

ii. The LMDO will liaise with funding bodies and act as a grants broker for music scene initiatives, and generally facilitate the growth of all music scene activities. These may include new street press, music blogging, gigs, production of music and the professional development of musicians. The LMDO will pursue and write funding applications, and manage funding and grants on behalf of live music projects.

iii. The LMDO will work alongside youth services across the LGA to promote all ages music culture.

iv. The LMDO will oversee the development of a major live music festival.

v. The LMDO will assist in the development of pop up venues.

vi. The LMDO will commit to developing strong and ongoing relationships with non-local promoters, booking agencies, touring bands, and music companies both national and global

vii. The LMDO will be funded and is expected to attend and participate in Music Council of Australia conferences, Music NSW activities and other opportunities which provide avenues for promoting Illawarra musicians and music partnerships. This may include international conferences.

viii. The LMDO will be overseen by an Advisory Committee comprising representatives from the music scene and funding sources to ensure consistency in the development of the role.

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g. Funding Alex Masso feedback - if it's going to be related to RDA Illawarra, we should look at RDA Central Coast. Maybe even talk to their "Regional Community Creative Producer", the position they've funded. Rob additional feedback: Wollongong Futures ‘Cultural Broker’ at http://udf.org.au/udf-quarterly/udfq-64-december-2003/article/wollongong-integrating-culture-into-urban-planning/

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LMA Appendix 1: Community Goals of Wollongong City Council 2) We have an innovative and sustainable economy 2.1 Local employment opportunities are increased within a strong local economy. 2.2 The region’s industry base is diversified. 2.3 The profile of Wollongong as the regional city of the Illawarra is expanded and improved. 2.4 New industries and green technologies are established and flourish. 2.5 Wollongong continues to expand as a place of learning. 3. Wollongong is a creative, vibrant city 3.1 Creative industries are established and fostered. 3.2 The visibility of our cultural diversity is increased. 3.3 Community access to the arts and participation in events and festivals is increased. 3.4 Strong diverse local cultures thrive. 4. We are a connected and engaged community 4.1 Residents are able to have their say through increased engagement opportunities and take an active role in decisions that affect our city. 4.2 Our residents feel an increased sense of community. 4.3 Residents have easy and equitable access to information resources and services. 4.4 Our local Council has the trust of the community. 5. We are a healthy community in a liveable city 5.1 There is an increase in the physical fitness, mental health and emotional wellbeing of all our residents. 5.2 Residents have improved access to a range of affordable housing options. 5.3 The public domain is maintained to a high standard. 5.4 Community safety is improved. 5.5 Participation in recreational and lifestyle activities is increased. 5.6 Residents have a high level of life satisfaction and personal happiness. Nb. Goal 1 (We value and protect our environment) and 2 (We have sustainable, affordable and accessible transport) are relevant but the Accord does not specifically deal with these issues.

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LMA Appendix 2: Wollongong Cultural Broker rolev From: http://udf.org.au/udf-quarterly/udfq-64-december-2003/article/wollongong-integrating-culture-into-urban-planning/ ‘Wollongong: integrating culture into urban planning’ In the Cultural Broker role, I worked with strategic planners, architects, urban designers and landscape architects - with the aim of placing cultural infrastructure development, cultural interpretation of landscape and built form, and local cultural identity at the heart of urban planning processes. I worked with the "City Centre Revitalisation" and "Wollongong Futures" strategies - 20 to 30 year urban visioning, consultative and planning processes for the city - to ensure that cultural concerns became integral to these strategies. Excellent cultural policy and research documents, including a five year cultural plan, had been commissioned and adopted, in principal, by Wollongong Council from the mid 1990s. However there had been little political action around integrating that policy and research work into visions for the city's future, particularly its economic future, and no significant cultural infrastructure investment since the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre in 1988. The Cultural Broker role came out of the recommendations of The Wollongong Cultural Industries Audit (Guppy Associates and National Economics 2000), which found that, despite Wollongong's considerable cultural assets, including its culturally vibrant communities, the city lacked the following: • A vital cultural precinct • An appropriate profile for the cultural industries with the business community • Appropriate connections between culture, tourism and hospitality • A regional cultural strength which could compete with Sydney • Appropriate resource commitment from state and federal Govt to provide infrastructure

commensurate with population and importance as the centre of the region • Definition as a regional urban centre • Positive and expansive thinking to aid the creative planning process • Appropriate networks and partnerships • Ability to retain talented cultural workers • Opportunities for training and retaining young people in Wollongong The brokerage role coincided with the arrival of a new Director of Planning at Wollongong City Council (Mike Mouritz). Collaborative professional practice between a team of urban change agents including; Mike; Strategic Planner, Bronwyn Seiden; project managers of the "City Centre Revitalisation" and "Wollongong Futures" processes, Corey Vervey and Etienne Brits, and the consultants to this process Russell Olsson Urban Projects; Hill Thallis, and Jane Irwin Landscape Architects - along with many others - built understanding of the importance of cultural infrastructure development as an integral part of urban planning processes. I wanted to get the idea of 'culture' into the same breath as urban and economic development - beyond the idea of culture as a peripheral affair unconnected to 'big picture' city futures. The cultural infrastructure initiatives evolved include plans for the development of a Burelli Street cultural precinct including: A 'cultural incubator' facility in a Council-owned 1960s building in MacCabe Park. This will re-animate the city's main urban park while adapting for creative re-use a city-owned asset. A feasibility study for this facility is nearing completion (Hill PDA, with Brecknock Consulting and Choi Ropiha Architects). Proposed redesign and refurbishment of Wollongong's Civic Plaza including re-orienting current cultural facilities into a city-centre 'cultural cluster' including: Wollongong City Gallery; Illawarra Performing Arts Centre; Wollongong Library; Wollongong Town Hall performance venue and South Coast Writers Centre.

These would be joined by cafes, arts retail outlet and bookshop in redesigned public space.

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There is renewed energy and optimism in Wollongong with a greater understanding of the role of arts and culture in building identity; economic sustainability; civic pride and urban amenity, making Wollongong an exciting place right now. i http://issuu.com/uclgcglu/docs/9890675406__en__culture_fourth_pillar_sustainable_?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222 ii http://www.arts.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Cultural_Accord_4.pdf iii http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/council/publicdocuments/Documents/Wollongong%202022%20Community%20Strategic%20Plan.pdf iv This should involve a third party such as Council (where Council is not one of the parties) or another independent person or organisation. v http://udf.org.au/udf-quarterly/udfq-64-december-2003/article/wollongong-integrating-culture-into-urban-planning/

Community-Sector Submission on the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report and Proposed Action Plan

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Transcript of Community-Sector Submission on the Wollongong Live Music Taskforce Report and Proposed Action Plan