Following the closure of The Tote in Collingwood and outcry in the press about the dismal outlook for live music venues , Liquor Licensing Victoria has opened the doors for such venues to have costly security conditions eased, reported the Geelong Advertiser (28 January).

A blanket approach to liquor licensing has seen any venue with amplified music after 1am classified as high risk, an approach blamed for the recent closure of  The Tote. This means that pubs who feature up-and-coming live bands are effectively categorised as nightclubs and forced to install CCTV, pay extra for their liquor licence and beef up security.

On Wednesday Liquor Licensing Victoria confirmed licensees can now apply to have their late-night conditions assessed on an “individual-basis”.

Director of Liquor Licensing Sue Maclellan announced the changes after meeting with representatives from Melbourne’s live music scene.

She said the laws were aimed at minimising alcohol-related harm but acknowledged they may have had unintended consequences on live music venues.

However, according to a report in The Age (28 January) the decision to ease conditions on a case by case basis is not good enough.

Jon Perring, from lobby group Fair Go 4 Live music and joint owner of live music venues Bar Open and Pony, will urge Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson today to drop regulations linking live music to tougher security requirements.

Click here to read the full story in The Age.

Click here to read the full story in the Geelong Advertiser.