Victoria to promote 'agent of change' noise rules

Residential developers building next to existing live music venues will have to foot the bill for sound-proofing under new planning changes to be introduced by the Victorian Government. The "agent of change" principle, which will also apply to new music venues, will put the responsibility of noise mitigation on the new development, not the existing businesses and residents nearby. Planning Minister Matthew Guy said once the new regulations are in place, established pubs and clubs will not be forced to close due to noise complaints from new neighbours saying "Should an apartment block or others move next door to an existing music venue, it is then incumbent upon those people to ensure they have adequate noise and soundproofing requirements in place for themselves, rather than putting that onus upon the live music venue". Whilst it has been argued that a clear definition of what constitutes a 'live music venue' is needed, the Planning Minister said that the changes meant that  Victoria will have the strongest level of protection for live music venues in Australia : "We are doing absolutely everything we can as a government to ensure live music is vibrant and a strong part of Melbourne's cultural scene," Mr Guy said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-04/live-music-sound-proofing-law-change-in-victoria/5646570