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Rainbow Serpent Festival Has Not Yet Been Granted A POPE Permit For 2013.

Firstly we would like to say how absolutely devastated we are to find ourselves in the position of not yet having a POPE Permit for Rainbow Serpent Festival 2013. We say “yet” because we know that if council and authorities want to continue to support Rainbow and the very real benefit we bring to the local community there is still time for the permit to be granted. During the floods of 2011 our POPE permit was only granted a few days before the festival, once the site was deemed safe.

For those that don’t know, POPE stands for Places of Public Entertainment and is a permit that must be received to run events like Rainbow Serpent Festival. It is not unusual for a POPE permit to be granted during the final months or weeks prior to a large event.

This is the first time in 16 years the Pyrenees Council believe we have not met the conditions necessary to issue us a POPE permit, even though we strongly believe Rainbow 2013 would have been and still can be the best resourced and safest Rainbow to date.

For 2013 our medical and fire plans were reviewed to take on board suggestions and changes and our new plans were supported and endorsed by the authorities. Part of this review included a change of service providers with the intention of an improved level of service. However, due to the lateness of the change in providers Ambulance Victoria and Regional CFA expressed concern and a lack of confidence and withdrew their support for the festival. On these grounds council decided to not issue us the permit.

In light of this decision we immediately offered to revert back to our original fire and medical services providers which Regional CFA and Ambulance Victoria had worked with over many previous years. However, due to bureaucratic process, council and authorities are yet to express a willingness to reconsider their refusal to grant us the POPE permit.

Rainbow is obviously very important to the local Pyrenees community and provides an important cultural bridge between city and regional communities. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their continued support.

It is estimated that Rainbow Serpent Festival generates close to a million dollars annually for the local community. We believe this represents a million reasons for council and authorities to sit down at the table so we can work through their concerns together.

Obviously cancelling Rainbow one week before its scheduled to run will have catastrophic ramifications as many expenses have already been incurred. Construction on site is almost complete, artists are already travelling from around the globe and our amazing community has already invested in tickets and are preparing for departure, some are already on their way. Council and the authorities unwillingness to meet us at the table and reconsider their decision could very well mean the end of our festival and the many benefits it brings to those who attend and the Pyrenees community in general.

We are currently following through with appeal processes and will not give up in trying to reach out to the Pyrenees Council and authorities and hope with the support of our amazing, passionate community, the sculptures will be built, the lights will be turned on, the workshops will be held and we can once again dance together at our stunning home in Lexton.

You have our promise we will keep you well informed of any news and thank you for your understanding and patience.

Rainbow Serpent Festival



Update 2pm Thursday 17 January 2013

We have a council meeting scheduled for 4.30pm this afternoon! Council have opened the door to reconsider the POPE permit application. This is a great step! We now need Country Fire Authority, Victoria Police and most importantly Ambulance Victoria to show their support for our beautiful festival.

We are confident we have the measures in place to provide a safe environment at Rainbow Serpent 2013. They just need to give it their approval.

Please feel free to send polite messages of support for Rainbow to the Ambulance Victoria twitter account here:

https://twitter.com/AmbulanceVic and express to them how much Rainbow means to you.

Also don’t forget to sign the petition!

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-rainbow-serpent-festival-2013.html

And thank you again, you are all wonderful people and we hope to be dancing and smiling with you really soon. xxx

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This poor excuse for a (regional) newspaper has reported incorrectly that the festival has been canceled:

The Courier - Rainbow Serpent Festival cancelled 

The festival brings around $1 million in local investment in a part of Victoria that isn't often visited by tourists.  The local community always speaks highly of the festival and its attendees, and RSF has bought the local fire brigade a new tanker, as well as plenty of funding:
The Courier - 50 towns in 50 days: Beaufort's tourism renaissance

mexicanjewlucas said:

from what you have said here you have not met the councils requirements needed this year to be granted a POPE.

i'm not really sure what you are complaining about? that your event will be canceled because you failed to meet the requirements the Pyrenees Council set out for you to meet? it sounds like the Pyrenees Council will grant you a POPE if you make changed to meet their requirements. why don't you make the changes (even the unfair ones) so you can get your POPE and hold this annual event.

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RAINBOW SERPENT FESTIVAL UPDATE

An emergency meeting has just ended (4.45pm) to try and resolve the impasse over this year's Rainbow Serpent Festival.
Cr Michael O'Connor has told the Advocate the meeting has not changed council's position.
"We have not altered our decision. We have formally refused their application but have told organisers they are welcome to submit a fresh application based on the resumption of emergency management services from their former provider," Cr O'Connor said.
"We have told them to put in place a new Public Place of Entertainment (PoPE) application," Cr O'Connor said.
Rainbow Serpent organisers believe a new application can be lodged by tomorrow morning.
"We will fast track the application as quickly as possible but the final decision remains in the hands of Victoria Police, the CFA and Ambulance Victoria. They have to be on board," he said.
"We are working to try and maintain the success of the festival because of its enormous value to our local communities," Cr O'Connor said.
The Pyrenees Advocate will update readers on our Facebook page and in next week's edition if the situation changes.

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