The soaring cost of entry visas for entertainers visiting Australia could lead to big increases in ticket prices, according to the chief executive of the Live Performance Australia (LPA) trade group.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton recently announced that new visa fees will be introduced next month. One of the changes is the effective scrapping of the long-standing group discount for entertainment visas for overseas touring groups.
LPA’s Evelyn Richardson said the additional costs imposed on artists and their crews entering Australia will affect ticket prices.
The LPA, which lobbies for the live entertainment industry and handles around 20 per cent of the sector’s visa applications, said that under the new charges, the visa processing fee for the organisers of Bluesfest event at Byron Bay have soared by 600 per cent to Aus$55,000 (£34,000/$41,500/€37,500). Other festivals such as Splendour in the Grass and the Falls Festival face visa fee increases of more than 200 per cent for their international artists.
Richardson said: “Visa processing fees are being increased by up to 600 per cent which could stop touring artists from coming to Australia altogether.
“This is a massive money grab by the Government, which is being introduced under the guise of a new online visa processing system that is supposed to cut red tape and streamline visa approvals.
“These new fees add significantly to the cost of touring Australia, and will act as a major disincentive for international artists to come here compared to opportunities in other markets.
“Australians who go to a live performance event or who work in the industry will be the biggest losers under this new scheme, as well as those who work in local tourism and hospitality businesses especially in regional communities.”
Share this