Victoria’s Maitreya Festival heads to court over permit

A regional Victorian music festival which is expecting to draw 9000 people next month and injected $2.1 million into the local economy last year, is taking authorities to VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal).

The Maitreya Festival at Wooroonook Lakes, has lodged an application to appeal a decision by Buloke Shire Council and Victoria Parks not to issue it a three year permit. At the moment, the 2016 edition (March 11 to 15) is officially not going ahead. Promoter Lachlan Bell believes VCAT will allow it to.

Bell said, “We respect the Council’s decision and its an unfortunate one. We are going through the correct avenues and have lodged a VCAT application to appeal the decision and are now letting the appeals process take its course.”

Last Wednesday, Buloke Shire Council announced it would not extend the festival’s permit because it not supplied information needed with an application. Mayor Reid Mather told the Bendigo Advertiser it was with “great disappointment” the decision was reached, but the council had no choice.

“The council and the community have been let down by a promoter who simply could not get the needed information and reports together to enable his application to be approved,” he told the newspaper.

It is believed that documents needed to issue an event licence included insurance, security bonds, agreements with Ambulance Victoria, emergency, environmental and a cultural heritage management plans.

Bell’s immediate response to the rejection that it had been a hasty one and done without consultation with the local community. The area has been hit by drought, and local business needed tourist dollars.

Over the last ten years, Bell believes the festival has injected $10 million. This year the Maitreya Festival had also promised to donate $80,000 to local sports and community organisers, after bestowing $40,000 last year.

A petition launched on Friday demanding the festival be staged had doubled its targeted signatures in 24 hours.