Can Australian Music Survive in the Age of Spotify?
The ACT Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Economics, Industry and Recreation has launched a formal inquiry into Canberra’s night-time economy.
Established after a significant fall in industry employment in 2025 and the closure of multiple live music venues and nightclubs, the inquiry is now at the hearing and deliberation stage.
Nearly 20 submissions described systemic and regulatory issues choking business after 6pm. Operators of One22 bar and Fiction and Vent nightclubs reported declining Friday night trade, and noted that more than six nightclubs and live music venues had closed in the past five years – some after more than two decades of operation.
Peak hospitality body AHA ACT made nearly 30 recommendations in its submission, covering outdoor dining, liquor licensing, late-night transport and red tape reduction. AHA ACT General Manager Chris Gatfield said Canberra needed government to support existing bricks-and-mortar operators rather than relying on one-off activations and pop-up events.
Former MusicACT president David Caffrey submitted that Canberra’s CBD would not reach its economic and reputational potential without a night-time activation strategy – and that it had already been a decade of delays and governance mistakes.
ACT Night-Time Economy Minister Tara Cheyne said she had become open to a dedicated night-time economy coordinator after listening to industry evidence.
A committee report is expected later in 2026.
