Canberra’s music and events culture has evolved organically, with entertainment venues popping up in the city, in town centres and at local shops.

Entertainment precincts will help to protect the long-term future of our music and entertainment industry without exposing residents or businesses to unreasonable or unexpected levels of noise.

Precincts will put the onus on new developments to incorporate extensive noise insulation—not on music venues to turn down their volumes when residential development is built nearby.

As more residents move into our city and town centres, now is the time to act to outline clear sites for festivals, clear entertainment precincts in places like Civic and around EPIC, and clear noise rules for shared areas like Braddon and our major town centres.

In areas like Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, entertainment precinct laws have helped ensure that these vibrant mixed-use areas work for residents, nightclubs, live music venues, cafes, restaurants, hotels and retail businesses.

The Government needs to make real headway on the growing need for entertainment precincts and balanced environmental noise regulation. Given the rate of new apartment blocks going up in the inner city areas and in our town centres, this should be a priority.

I look forward to seeing the ACT Government act to let music live in Canberra.