Will Hodgman should act to prevent Tasmanians being ripped off by ticket scalpers.
Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs Jen Butler said particularly over summer, Tasmanians are keen to enjoy a range of ticketed events.
"It's a time of year when there are many events on across the state, including music festivals and major sporting events.
"Tasmanians should be able to buy tickets for these events without forking out huge amounts to scalpers. Nobody wins from ticket scalping other than the person or business on-selling the tickets. Fans face huge mark-ups, and no benefits flow to the artists or athletes."
Examples in Tasmania of where ticket scalpers are cashing in include:
- Mona Foma Saturday Pass – $161, up from $69
- Mona Foma Sunday Pass – $161, up from $69
- Big Bash Cricket in Launceston (General Admission) – $130 up from $29
- Sesame Street Circus Spectacular, Launceston (Reserved seating) – $110 up from $68
- Hobart International Tennis Finals – $96, up from $45
Ms Butler called on Will Hodgman to introduce restrictions including:
- banning the sale of tickets for more than 10% of their original price
- banning 'ticket bots', which scalpers use to harvest tickets as soon as they become available online
- making it an offence to host advertisements for ticket sales that contravene these laws
"All other Australian states have acted to crack down on ticket scalping, and we think it's time Tasmania followed their lead.
"Tasmanians want to be able to enjoy festivals and events at a reasonable price. It's time to stamp out practices that exploit consumers."
Jen Butler
Shadow Minister for Consumer Affairs
