In disappointing news for Western Australian fans, their State Government has moved to cancel this year’s One Movement Festival, and have launched a review into the event’s structure.
The Perth festival took place in October last year and featured Xavier Rudd, Grinspoon, and the the legendary Todd Rundgren.
However, the failing event will not take place this year after the announcement by organisers Eventscorp, as Perthnow.com.au reports. Executive Director David van Ooran said, “One Movement is part of a longer term strategy for Tourism WA to foster international events that are anchored in, and owned, by the State.
“It provides diversity to WA’s events calendar and creates community vibrancy.
“However, what has become clear after two years is that, despite modifications being made in the second year, the Festival component of One Movement held on The Esplanade isn’t working.
“The music industry Conference, Fringe and Showcase elements are achieving positive outcomes, but the Festival is incurring losses for the event organisers that cannot be sustained.
“The Directors of One Movement Pty Ltd projected the event would run at a loss in the first few years as it was being established, but not of the scale that has occurred.”
He did add that he hoped a re-jigged version of the festival would return in 2012. A parliamentary inquiry is currently being made into the festival and the WA Tourism Commission’s involvement in it, due to claims that One Movement, paid for by tax-payers, failed because of poor attendance. Van Ooran, however, insists the cancellation has nothing to to with this inquiry.
