Buskers policy ‘ has problems ’

BUSKERS will be allowed on the streets of Kiama, Gerringong and Jamberoo after the council adopted a policy for granting busking licenses.

However, the organiser of a busking festival and Kiama Chamber of Commerce believe there are problems with the policy.

The policy allows performers to buy a three or 12-month busking licence provided they meet certain conditions. These include that the busker has public liability insurance cover for up to $10 million.

Kiama resident Peter Knott has been trying to set up a busking festival in the area and congratulated the council for having made this step towards allowing that.

But he said the condition that buskers must have insurance would cut out many performers, such as high school students.

Council general manager Michael Forsyth confirmed that the policy would prevent most amateur buskers from performing, but said: "Public performers in the streets should really have public liability insurance."

A spokeswoman for Wollongong-based insurance broker Abico said 12 months" public liability cover would cost about $600.

Mr Knott was now investigating potential sponsors to help cover insurance costs. He still hoped to hold a busking festival in August, but said many hurdles were appearing.

"It"s just getting more and more difficult with more barriers put up along the way," he said. "They (the council) either want buskers or they don"t and I get the impression some of them don"t."

Kiama Chamber of Commerce vice-president Roy Schmidt said that, although the chamber was not against busking, it felt there was potential for conflict between buskers and retailers.

The policy as adopted states that "authorised officers of the Kiama Municipality", which will be the council"s rangers, can direct a busker to stop performing if a complaint is made.

Mr Schmidt said this did not give enough rights to retailers, who had no authority themselves to ask buskers to stop.

"If they have a problem with a specific busker , for instance too loud or inappropriate music , then the only recourse the retailer has is to ring the council rangers and request them to come and review the situation," he said. "That could take them a few hours to respond.

Mr Forsyth did not believe there would be a problem with the rangers" workload as the policy would be enforced only when required; that is only when a complaint was made. He did not expect the council would receive many applications for busking licences immediately.