News
24 September, 2024
A fraction of festival friction
Questions have been raised by local residents after the State Government announced it was committing $2 million to help prop up the Woodford Folk Festival.
The funding lifeline came after The Sentinel revealed last week the iconic event had lost millions in ticket sales in 2023/24.
A combination of bad weather, rising production costs and tightening household budgets played havoc, with hopes of the festival building momentum after COVID shutdowns.
But opinions about the extra funding were mixed, with many arguing that taxpayer money should be directed towards social issues.
“Would of rather my tax money went to the People living in Cruice Park down the road in tents,” Cathy Bond wrote.
“Bloody hell. There are people without homes. That money belongs to the people who work hard to pay taxes. How can they take that money?” Rhonwyn Mcsweeny added.
Another reader added: “They want handouts all the time and get it and only just down the road there is dozens of people living in the park with no roof over their head. Tell me how that is fair.
“So in another words, the government will hand out millions for entertainment and poor people don’t matter.”
Kelly Johnson said a good comprise would be to allow the homeless to live on the festival grounds. Other locals said the money could have been directed to health facilities.
A Moreton Bay Council spokesperson said the festival is “an institution on the Australian music and festival scene”, bringing an estimated economic activity of over $20 million to Moreton Bay.
Other locals said they spent a lot of money in local towns when visiting for the festival.
“I’ve worked setting up the festival many times. The pay is great and I spent a lot of it in Woodford and Kilcoy,” Jeff Burnet commented.
“I’m surprised that some locals are not supportive of a $20 million business that only disrupts your life for one week of the year, who are interested in making peoples lives better and look aft er the land. Would you rather a chemical company or another quarry to poison your rivers?” Andrew McLean, Greens candidate for Glass House, said.
Katie James added: “It’s a few days out of the year. And brings so much money to the town, which supports local businesses that hire local people.”
Locals Ang Dahn and Pete Otoole also emphasised how great the event is and how “lucky” Woodford is to “host a world class festival in our little community”.
There was repeated concern about the festival not being able to support itself.
“If you look at the history of the folk festival every couple of years they scream broke and council or state government bail them out. Was this a grant or just a hand out?”
Tracey Benjafi eld said. Joan Runge said: “If the government has to give them $2 million of tax payers money again this year it all should be cancelled, for good things do not add up.”
Dale Crocombe wrote that “every year this event has their hand out for money”.
“The government stands back and watches hundreds of business go down every year.
“Where is their help?” State Member for Glass House, Andrew Powell, said despite him being a fan of the WFF and the flow-on economic effect it brings to the region, he would also have liked to see more money in other issues of the region.
“Through the years, governments of all political persuasions have supported the festival, both fi nancially and through in-kind contributions,” he said.
“I do appreciate fully, though, that many locals would also rightly ask where that kind of funding is for much needed community priorities, like resurfacing the D’Aguilar Highway through Woodford, fixing up any number of intersections or adding Years 11 and 12 to Woodford P-10 State School.
“If the Government can find $2 million for the festival, I’d love to see similar commitments to those other projects in the region too.”
Mr Powell emphasised, however, how he values “the tireless efforts of (co-founders) Amanda (Jackes), Bill (Hauritz) and their extraordinary team of volunteers” and cannot deny the positive impact it has on the region, attracting thousands of tourists to the local towns, including Woodford, Maleny and Kilcoy.
It is estimated 93 per cent of festival goers come from outside Moreton Bay, with 40 per cent coming from outside Queensland (QLD), generating an estimated economic impact of $32 million overall in Queensland.
Council supported the Woodford Folk Festival with $500,000 through two operational support grants in the past two years and in 2011, purchased the Woodfordia site to guarantee the long-term future of the WFF and the economic benefits it brings to the local economy.
