Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Music Victoria has surveyed Council candidates across Victoria, and the results of the survey reveal The Greens on Melbourne City Council to be the strongest live music champions and most effective live music policy-makers in the state!
The Greens have been champions of live music and of venues, musicians and workers across the live music industry over the last eight years of Council. Specifically, Greens Councillors Cathy Oke (2008-16) and Rohan Leppert (2012-16) have:
- Initiated Melbourne Music Week (proposed by Cr Oke in 2010) and expanded and improved its programming each year since. The MMW program continually consists of >75% Victorian musicians; we continue to partner with live music venues to draw new audiences in to venues and the city; and our funding model drives profit for venues and industry companies;
- Initiated Melbourne’s first Music Strategy (led by Cr Oke in 2010);
- Formed a Music Strategy Advisory Committee (led by Cr Leppert in 2013);
- Comprehensively reviewed and updated Melbourne’s Music Strategy with the new Advisory Committee and broader industry (led by Cr Leppert in 2013);
- Doubled the staff and resources for Arts House to significantly increase our support to emerging, experimental and contemporary performing artists, including strong music programming (led by Cr Leppert in 2014);
- Secured Council support for a planning scheme amendment to apply a site-specific heritage overlay to the Palace Theatre (though the new owner demolished the interior heritage during the week prior to the adoption of the ‘statement of significance’ by Council, which jeopardised the amendment). (Cr Leppert in 2014);
- Carried the petition and secured Council support for the creation of Amphlett Lane (Cr Leppert in 2014);
- Expanded and promoted the Melbourne Indigenous Arts Festival, including strong music programming (led by Cr Leppert in 2015);
- Proposed and held Melbourne’s first Music Symposium, to allow collaboration in the Melbourne music industry and to learn from experts around the world on what it means to be a Music City (led by Cr Leppert in 2015);
- Increased Arts Grants funding pools in 2015 and 2016 due to overwhelming competition for grants, including increase in music grants (led by Cr Leppert);
…and more!
There are plenty of challenges facing musicians in central Melbourne, not least of which the increasingly expensive living and working costs. This has an effect on musicians, but also on the creativity of the inner city generally.
City of Melbourne Arts portfolio holder (and musician!) Cr Leppert moved a motion in August this year to adopt Melbourne’s Arts Infrastructure Framework. The framework will provide for the development and renewal of infrastructure to support artists and creative practitioners to work, create and present in the City of Melbourne. It’s the first of its kind in Australia, and aims to elevate creative infrastructure to the same level of recognition that community infrastructure enjoys in planning tools and strategic plans.
Greens on Council are working harder than ever to keep Melbourne a truly creative city, and a place that embraces and supports its musicians and artists.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne Music Week 2015