- Published:
- Friday 10 August 2018
Festival goers will be better protected against ticket scalpers after the Andrews Labor Government officially declared Meredith Music Festival as a major event.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren declared the iconic Meredith Musical Festival under the new Major Events Act 2009 due to the expected strong demand for tickets.
Now in its 28th year, Meredith Music Festival has grown from an end-of-year party with 200 people on the Nolan farm near Meredith to one of Australia’s most loved music festivals catering for more than 12,000 people.
Meredith Music Festival, and its sister festival Golden Plains, join Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, the 2018 AFL Finals Series and the Anzac Day AFL blockbuster between Collingwood and Essendon as declared events.
The Labor Government is cracking down on ticket scalpers to help genuine sports fans, theatre goers and music lovers access tickets for the many events on Victoria’s events calendar without having to pay inflated prices.
Under the legislation, it is illegal to re-sell tickets to a declared major event for more than 10 per cent above the original value. New authorised ticketing officers will support Victoria Police in enforcing the new laws and prosecuting ticket scalpers. Penalties can range from $806 to up to $483,500 depending on the nature of the offences.
Major events are critical to Victoria, generating $1.8 billion for the economy each year and driving tourism, branding and trade and business links.
The Labor Government is ensuring that Victoria’s major events calendar remains one of the largest and most prestigious in the world, with an additional $4.5 million committed to the Major Events Fund in the Victorian Budget 2018/19.
For more information visit economicdevelopment.vic.gov.au/fair-go-for-fans.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren
“Music lovers have the right to access tickets at a fair price. By declaring Meredith Music Festival, we’re sending a clear message to ticket scalpers that their malicious practice will not be tolerated.”
“We’ve now declared the AFL Final Series, Meredith Music Festival and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as major events, so more genuine fans are protected against ticket scalpers.”
Quote attributable to Member for Buninyong Geoff Howard
“Meredith is an iconic event on the Australian music calendar and a great economic boost for our region – anything we can do to improve the event and protect fans is worthwhile.”
Quote attributable to Meredith Music Festival Matriarch Aunty Meredith
“We have always done what we can to keep our tickets from scalpers and this declaration offers the best protection yet for Meredith-goers.”