Thursday, March 10, 2011

party in the patch

Organisers of Party in the Patch cancelled this event earlier in the week. I know there's a lot people who are disappointed but I'd like to clear up a few misconceptions floating around in cyberspace.

I fully support and encourage community events, particularly events for young people. However they need to be well organised so people's health and safety are properly looked after.

The size and nature of this year's Party in the Patch event raised some significant concerns in relation to community safety and public facilites. As advertised on the PITP website, the organiser was planning to charge an entry fee, offer market stalls and sell food. This makes the event a commercial event, which then becomes subject to a number of both state and local regulations.

We (myself and officers at the Shire) contacted the organisers back in January to discuss some of these issues however we heard nothing until this week, at which point they decided to cancel the event.

The idea for PITP 2011 that was pitched to me, a private party and non commercial venture, is far from the large scale event that was planned however I'd be keen to work with the organisers in the future to try and bring a youth event to the hills because I know how important it is to provide local opportunities for performers and their audience.

for more background info on pitp see this later blog entry

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4 Comments:

At 9:49 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This post of yours is incredibly DECEPTIVE Cr Dunn. The organisers were NEVER planning to charge entry. Have a look at the Facebook event which has been advertised for months. It very clearly states entry is "FREE". Are you lying to try and convince people that it's all the Party in the Patch's fault. I know for a fact they have contacted you earlier than you state. Your post makes it sound like out the blue they contact you this week and cancel the event. This is not true and you know it. They have been planning a FREE event all YEAR. They have held it before they are not amateurs. I used to actually have respect for you given you're in the ETC but now that I know you spin lies and try to blame others, I will never believe anything you say again. It's very important in a position like yours to get your facts right and your facts are WRONG. SHAME CR DUNN. SHAME.

 
At 10:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hilarious that you have the time to write a blog but not answer the phone or the countless emails you have received. Good luck at getting re-elected.

 
At 9:29 PM, Blogger Samantha Dunn said...

Hilarious that you think I haven't responded, I've responded to every email and phone call I've received. I've even gone public on a blog and facebook too, to ensure people understand the facts. Hilarious.

 
At 9:43 PM, Blogger Samantha Dunn said...

Hmm, not going to charge, what about the $20 entry fee for cars, what about the $100 to get a market stall, what about the selling food - all sounds like there's a commercial element in that.

The organisers sent an email to a staffer at the shire on the 16 Dec 2010 requesting some funding for waste services, I responded in early Jan and was told by event organisers that the event was a private event meaning I could not fund the waste collection services. I did highlight to organisers that a permit may be required depending on the nature of the event and asked our staff to follow up which they did on 20 Jan.

They did not get a response from the organisers until this week.

I don't lie, I look at facts, the paper trails, the phone records and they tell the truth.

I have always supported live music and have invited discussions with the organisers around the development of a youth based event in the Dandenong Ranges.

I will continue to advocate most strongly for better public transport as it is an issue I am very passionate about.

 

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