Ridiculous call to raise Centrelink payments so young Aussies can go to music ... trends now
A bar owner has called for Youth Allowance and JobSeeker payments to be raised so that young Aussies can afford a night out and tickets to a music festival.
Ancient World co-owner Hugh Scobie made the sensational call warning young Australians were being crushed by the cost-of-living crisis.
Musical festivals were once a rite of passage for many young Australians, however economic pressures has seen a dip in ticket sales, while several festivals, including Splendour in the Grass, have been forced to cancel as a result.
'Most people can't afford to (even) spend that $50 on a night out,' Mr Scobie told The Advertiser.
A new report has found economic pressures and the soaring cost-of-living has seen a drastic drop in ticket sales among young Aussies
The report found ticket sales suffered among music festivals' biggest group of attendees - those aged 18 to 24
'Raising JobSeeker and Youth Allowance to the amount recommended by the Australian Council of Social Service would help a lot.
Creative Australia's SoundCheck report 'Insights into Australia's music festival sector' published on Wednesday found ticket sales dropped by 24 per cent among the festivals biggest group.
Ticket sales among 18 to 24 year-olds dropped 41 per cent in 2018 to 2019 to 27 per cent in 2022 to 2023.
The report also cited the National Arts Participation Survey which found ticket sales fell due to expensive attendance costs and the soaring cost-of-living crisis.
The cost of tickets remained the most common barrier to attendance, impacting 55 per cent of Australians, with 33 per cent claiming they did not attended an event in 2022 due to ticket prices.
Money issues were also most pronounced among party goers aged under 35, with nine in 10 young Aussies experiencing financial difficulty in 2023.
Young Aussies told Daily Mail Australia they believed the cost-of-living and high ticket prices were factors that caused the cancellation of music festival Splendor in the Grass.
Mr Scobie explained young Aussies are not able to stretch their budgets to afford a music festival ticket or even a night out on the town.
'We lost a huge amount of our audience – young people and students whose main income is from Centrelink – almost immediately after interest rates, rents, groceries and petrol prices went up,' he said.
'Seeing bands and socialising with their friends doesn't seem to be affordable for them in the current economic climate.'
Young Australians on JobSeeker, who are single and do not have children, receive a maximum fortnightly payment of $762.70
Co-owner of Adelaide bar and DJ venue Ancient World Hugh Scobie (left) called for Youth Allowance and Job Seeker payments to be raised so that young Aussies can afford ticket prices and a night out on the town
Young Australians on JobSeeker, who are single and do not have children, receive a maximum fortnightly payment of $762.70.
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