The Labor Government and Daniel Andrews MP announced today several new rules on ticket resale in Victoria, Australia.
The Major Events Legislation Amendment (ticket scalping and other matters) Bill 2017 makes it illegal to sell or advertise for resale tickets to certain “declared” events that are marked up more than 10 percent above face value. “Declared” events can be sporting events, theatre shows, and concerts. Victoria’s government follows in the footsteps of fellow Australian state New South Wales, who passed the same law last month.
The legislation comes after pressure from producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which will play in Melbourne in early 2019. Tickets were notoriously difficult to buy from primary and expensive to buy on secondary for the show’s run in London.
The only event that has been given “declared” status so far is the Australian Football League grand final, but the bill also changes the “declared” status lead-in period from nine months to two weeks. Minister for Tourism and Major Events John Eren, who will be in charge of granting declared status, says the decision will be made about other events such as the AFL preliminary finals and the upcoming Boxing Day cricket test closer to the dates of the events, and will depend on whether they sell out.
The bill also introduces authorized ticket officers, who, along with Victoria police officers, will be present at major events and on the lookout for scalpers, who could be fined between $790 and $475,000.
“For too long, Victorians have been ripped off, desperate to see their favourite team or performance live,” said Mr. Eren.
“These new measures will crack down on scalpers and help keep our major events fair and accessible for everyone.”