Peking Duk Rip Into NSW Government Over Mountain Sounds Festival Cancellation
"Gladys get your head out of the sand, your policies and viewpoints need a reality check."
Canberra duo Peking Duk have blasted Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Government over the cancellation of Central Coast festival Mountain Sounds.
Over the weekend, the festival announced it was pulling the plug on the event just a week out from when it was supposed to take place, citing “impossible” licensing and security costs imposed by the NSW Police.
“We were told we would have to pay an additional upfront amount of approximately $200,000 for 45 user pay police on a 24 hour cycle,” organisers wrote. “This came one week out from the festival and blindsided us as we were quoted for 11 user pay police on the 18th of January.”
NSW Police have denied they pressured organisers to close.
Now Peking Duk have entered the fray, posting a lengthy statement on social media criticising the Berejiklian government and urging fans to vote the Liberals out at the upcoming election.
“Gladys Berejiklian says she wants festivals to continue and to grow, how exactly do they grow with a $184,000 increase in police costs?” They wrote. “Forcing festivals to pay these costs even though out of 15,000 attendees last year there were only 49 drug detections. 49. There were no drug deaths, no drug violcence [sic], nothing to justify an increase in police costs.”
“If you don’t care for enjoyment of people at least appreciate the economic impact of this. Hundreds of festivals workers livelihoods are gone now, from the people behind the scenes setting it up, artists and punters who had booked flights, accommodation etc all the way to the faces you see at Nan’s taco shack and dad’s hat stall.
“Gladys get your head out of the sand, your policies and viewpoints need a reality check,” they continued. “We don’t force roads to close because of road fatalities, we don’t ban alcohol due to (much higher) deaths from alcohol, we don’t shut down casino’s because of the trauma and grief they cause to the addicted. So why are you targeting music festivals like this? Why are you targeting the events that give so much back to the community?”
They finished with one instruction: “Vote. Gladys & Liberal. Out.”
Read the full statement below.
Dear Australia,
It breaks our heart to say the NSW Government has well and truly crossed the line.
Now it’s truly personal, they’ve decided to bin something extremely special to us. Something loved dearly by almost every person on the entire Central Coast of NSW and abroad.
By introducing a $200,000 “police and safety” fee, an extortionate 1250% increase in which last year was only $16,000 just ONE WEEK out from the festival doors open, NSW Gov. has decided to kill @mountainsoundsfestival . @gladysb says she wants festivals to continue and to grow, how exactly do they grow with a $184,000 increase in police costs? Forcing festivals to pay these costs even though out of 15,000 attendees last year there were only 49 drug detections. 49. There were no drug deaths, no drug violcence, nothing to justify an increase in police costs.
If you don’t care for enjoyment of people at least appreciate the economic impact of this. Hundreds of festivals workers livelihoods are gone now, from the people behind the scenes setting it up, artists and punters who had booked flights, accommodation etc all the way to the faces you see at Nan’s taco shack and dad’s hat stall.
Gladys get your head out of the sand, your policies and viewpoints need a reality check. We don’t force roads to close because of road fatalities, we don’t ban alcohol due to (much higher) deaths from alcohol, we don’t shut down casino’s because of the trauma and grief they cause to the addicted. So why are you targeting music festivals like this? Why are you targeting the events that give so much back to the community?
If music, creativity, culture, economy and enjoyment of life itself is important to you, then please in 2 weeks from now DO NOT vote Liberal. They started with killing our venues and now they are setting fire to our festivals.
When there’s no music left it’ll be too late to say something.
Vote. Gladys & Liberal. Out.