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The perceived risk of running an event in South West Rocks is one of the reasons being blamed for the cancellation of music festival, Rock the Gaol.
While ticket holders were advised that the November 19 event at the Trial Bay Gaol heritage site had been postponed, they are now waiting for a new date to be set, or for refunds.
Organiser of the over-18s event Jason Banicevic, says wet-weather insurance and hiring security was "close to impossible" because of recent events.
After three months of trying, he was unable to get insurance cover in case of a wet-weather event, due to South West Rocks being in a high flood zone.
He says he only found out recently that "no underwriter in Australia will insure an outdoor event in a high flood zone postcode".
Mr Banicevic didn't want to risk absorbing the cost of cancelling the outdoor event due to rain; ruining the heritage-listed grounds; or risking community discontent by going forward with the festival in wet-weather conditions.
"If you throw an event and it rains, you've got to wear it... and I didn't want to risk $50,000 out of my own pocket," he said.
Global insurance
A spokesperson from the Insurance Council of Australia said that over the past two years, there has been a tightening of the market for public liability insurance, which covers live music events - among other industries such as pubs.
There are three main drivers of this:
- Only a small number of insurers, predominantly global, offered insurance covering this sector.
- The global insurance market is currently in the "hard" part of the cycle, when underwriting standards tighten.
- In the past three years the few insurers underwriting this sector have reassessed their involvement in these markets, globally and locally, and have either exited or significantly reduced their involvement.
The affordability and availability of commercial insurance products for live music events is a concern for many promoters in Australia.
"There is no one silver bullet to fix these issues. And solutions, where they exist, require a concerted effort between insurers, business, and government," the spokesperson said.
Patron safety
Hiring security for the event also proved difficult for Mr Banicevic.
"Once you type in our postcode, the premium for security companies practically doubles, so no-one will come here."
CEO of South West Rocks Country Club Dave Cunningham, agrees hiring security in the Macleay is challenging, noting a shortage of staff.
"There are more venues than guards," he said.
However, Mr Cunningham did not agree with Mr Banicevic's message that the decision to postpone Rock the Gaol was also due to patron safety concerns.
In an emailed announcement to ticket holders, Mr Banicevic wrote that "current community concerns around patron safety in and around licensed venues across South West Rocks" lead to the decision to reschedule.
He claims his company, Mad Max Events, took advice from local government and local authorities and "after the recent tragedy" decided it was not "the right time to host a large scale licensed event".
The tragedy referred to is the death of surfer Chris Davidson following an assault outside the South West Rocks Country Club.
Mr Cunningham believes the real reason the event will not run this weekend is poor planning.
"My understanding is that the event has not been planned well or organised properly and that is why it isn't going ahead," he said.
The Country Club has since pulled its sponsorship of Rock the Gaol.
"The club won't have anything to do with Mad Max promotions in the future," Mr Cunningham said.
Locals want more events
While Mr Banicevic will not comment on ticket sale numbers, the consensus around the coastal town of South West Rocks was that locals are eager to see more events come to the area.
South West Rocks resident Alex Dalley thinks it's a shame his town is not utilised more for music festivals.
"We've got the best National Parks and public spaces for events, we've got the perfect space for it all, but there's no one really chasing the market," he said.
"I would love to see more live music in South West Rocks".
Mr Banicevic is confident the event will run annually for the next 10 years and is eager to support local artists and the Indigenous community. The current road blocks have only made him "more hungry and determined" to pull it off in May 2023.
"Moshtix are offering a refund or people can hold on to their tickets for next year," said Mr Banicevic.
The over 18s event was set to have two stages for performances by headline acts from The Tea Party and Hoodoo Gurus along with acts from local groups such Indigenous dancers from The Figtree Descendants Aboriginal Corporation.
Mr Banicevic said he is in conversation with Arts Mid North Coast and is keen to support local artists in the future. "There's so much talent out here", he said.
While Mr Banicevic believes the first event had "teething problems" and that he "doesn't have the solution" right now, but he hopes for an increase in government funding to help cover costs for the event, including a wet-weather policy.
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