Fresh from dropping a ripper lineup, festival goers will be better protected against ticket scalpers now that the Andrews Government has declared Meredith Music Festival a major event.
Meredith is in its 28th year and has grown from a 200 people end-of-year party to one of Australia’s favourite festivals, hosting over 12,000 people. Due to the expected strong demand for tickets, Minister for Tourism and Major Events, John Eren declared the iconic festival as a major event under the new Major Events Act 2009.
“Music lovers have the right to access tickets at a fair price,” says Eren. “By declaring Meredith Music Festival, we’re sending a clear message to ticket scalpers that their malicious practice will not be tolerated.”
“Meredith is an iconic event and a great economic boost for our region,” shares Member for Buninyong, Geoff Howard. “Anything we can do to improve the event and protect fans is worthwhile.”
Clearly pleased with this announcement, Meredith Music Festival adds: “We have always done what we can to keep our tickets from scalpers and this declaration offers the best protection yet.”
Other declared events include Meredith’s sister festival Golden Plains, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts One and Two, the 2018 AFL Finals Series and the 2019 ANZAC Day AFL match.
This update to the act will see the Labor Government cracking down on ticket scalpers helping genuine fans of sport, theatre and music gain access to tickets for major events such as these without the inflated prices.
Under the new legislation, it’s illegal to re-sell tickets to a major event for more than ten percent about the original value. New ticketing officers will support Victoria Police in enforcing the new laws. Ticket scalpers will receive penalties ranging from $806 to $483,500 depending on the offence.
Major events are critical to Victoria’s economy, generating $1.8 billion each year, and compelling tourism, branding and trade, and business links. The Victorian major events calendar is one of the most prestigious in the world, and in the Victorian Budget 2018/19 an extra $4.5 million was committed to the Major Events Fund.
