In 1974, the live music sector and the trade union movement bumped heads when Bob Hawke, then president of the ACTU, effectively imposed a “green ban” on the great Frank Sinatra after he made sexist comments towards female journalists.

June 1974: Frank Sinatra declines an interview with Ann Pilmer on his way to Melbourne’s Festival Hall.Credit:Geoff Ampt

Hawke, who would become prime minister nine years later, enforced a union ban on Sinatra’s tour until he apologised.

There would be no refuelling of his private plane, no production for his show … hell, there would be no fancy backstage catering rider or breakfast in bed at his luxury hotel.

“If you don’t apologise your stay in this country could be indefinite. You won’t be allowed to leave Australia unless you can walk on water,” Hawke threatened in a statement to Ol’ Blue Eyes, who with his mob connections back home wasn’t used to being pushed around.

It worked – to a degree. Hawkie turned up to Sinatra’s Sydney hotel and negotiated a public statement of regret, and the singer was allowed to leave the country.

Fast-forward 38 years, and the trade union movement is once again stepping onto the music stage, threatening a similar ban on any developers considering buying the legendary union drinking hole and live music venue the John Curtin Hotel.

Trades Hall boss Luke Hilakari said in the media this week that the union movement would attempt to band together and buy the pub. If that failed, he floated the prospect of a green ban to stop development, a ploy that helped save city icons including the Regent Theatre, Queen Vic Market and the City Baths.

The John Curtin Hotel on the edge of the CBD.Credit:Penny Stephens

“I would put a warning out there to developers who are thinking of trying to knock down the John Curtin: the union won’t have it,” he said.

The John Curtin Hotel is one of the most famous pubs in the country. One local called it “the MCG of pubs” in media coverage this week. Many a union campaign was plotted at the pub, which sits across the road from Trades Hall on the edge of the CBD.

My father Barry, as industrial relations reporter for both The Age and then the Herald Sun in the 1970s, was privy to many of these meetings. As a music writer for The Age, I saw some of my most memorable live shows there from bands including Cash Savage, Orb and Blake Scott. You could say the pub is in our family’s blood.

Live music venues are a crucial part of the fabric of Victoria. Most Victorians have fond memories from their uni years of traipsing the hallowed “sticky carpet” discovering their new favourite bands, and small venues provide the launchpads for the next Paul Kelly and Courtney Barnett.

The calling of last drinks for the Curtin touches another nerve – the demise of the corner pub and the unethical actions by some rogue promoters, such as the ones who illegally knocked down Carlton’s Corkman Hotel in 2016 (developers were jailed and fined $1.3 million – so clearly this is a priority for the government).

Over the last century, Victoria has organically grown one of the strongest music communities in the world, with little support needed from the government. So why is the government required to intervene now?

One, because of COVID. And secondly, because of the intensification of city living. The industry can no longer withstand these threats.

What’s at stake? Following in the footsteps of Sydney, which has lost three venues in recent weeks: The Lansdowne, Old 505 Theatre and Giant Dwarf.

“We used to play shows in Sydney, we can’t really get them much any more,” said Jazz Party’s Loretta Miller. “I don’t want Melbourne to be that. That’s terrifying to me. Because what do we do then? There’s nowhere to play.”

Live music is clearly a priority for the state government, which has delivered millions of dollars in venues grants during the pandemic. This week, in music to the ears of the sector, the government announced it would top up venues’ grants and remove density quotas and the ban on dancing. There will be plenty of sore legs this weekend after music fans celebrated the end to the Footloose-style dancing ban on Friday night.

So how else can the government help?

The Curtin is currently protected to a degree against demolition by existing local council controls, as it falls within the City of Melbourne’s heritage overlay. But while it can’t be demolished, new developers could just keep the facade as a face of new apartments. And there’s no requirement to continue to run it as a live music venue.

The state government can strengthen this by adding venues like the Curtin to its Heritage Victoria register, which would require developers to address the pub’s social significance in any change of use.

The Government should explore options to protect social heritage while allowing the flexibility for businesses to renovate and support long-term planning and investment.

The music sector needs the government to develop a clear plan for what the city and state live music industry is going to look like in the next five, 10 and 20 years, and it needs to include the live music sector in that decision-making. The very essence of Melbourne and Victoria is at stake.

Patrick Donovan is a former Age music writer, former CEO of Music Victoria, and a member of the City of Melbourne’s Nighttime Economy Advisory Committee.

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