BY KATRINA BRANDON

 

THE Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod, a not-for-profit, recently commenced its 68th Eisteddfod, only to find that the community grant it had previously received had decreased significantly, meaning the group had to pay out of pocket expenses for venue hire and a decrease in amenities.

When quotes for hire came in, the local Eisteddfod couldn’t believe it.

“This year, we applied for and successfully secured a Latrobe City Community Event grant. However, this year’s grant falls well short of the previous year’s amount. We had to forego accepting it to receive community hire rates. Even at the community rate, we have been quoted fees of around $50,000 for this year’s event,” the Eisteddfod team told the Express.

“We understand that a venue such as GPAC is essential to attract high-calibre events, and with that, there are higher running costs and venue fees, but it’s most disappointing that the promises made during the fundraising period for this development have been broken.

“The Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod has successfully provided the arts community an extensive program of music and dance events to showcase and support local talent for over 68 years, and attracts over 3000 entrants and audiences from all over Victoria.”

Following the rise in the cost of the venue, the Eisteddfod posted a survey on social media asking what the community thought was an appropriate cost for event hire.

The group also contacted Latrobe City Council multiple times for an appeal on costs, but could not reach what was seen as a reasonable outcome in their view.

At last Monday’s September Latrobe City Council meeting, an agenda item related to the fees and charges for Creative Venues was considered.

A motion was endorsed to provide a $20,000 contribution to offset fees for the Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod’s use of creative venues for the 2024/25 financial year.

A council spokesperson told the Express that council will amend operational fees and charges for community groups using Creative Venues, and has eliminated the ‘Dark Day’ charge for the Gippsland Performing Arts Theatre, Little Theatre, and Traralgon Town Hall for the current financial year.

“A future council meeting will review a report on Creative Venues Fees and Charges, covering fee benchmarking, potential rates for education providers, venue usage analysis, and recommendations for setting fees and charges for Creative Venues for the 2025/26 financial year,” council said in a statement.