Calls for national crackdown on scalping at Federal Senate ticketing inquiry

A Federal Senate inquiry into ticket scalping has heard calls for national legislation to regulate the resale of entertainment and sport tickets in Australia.

The inquiry, which began hearing evidence in Sydney yesterday afternoon (20th February) was urged by Senator Nick Xenophon to recommend tougher national laws on scalping.

Senator Xenophon said he was inundated with complaints from South Australian teenagers who could not get tickets to see boy band One Direction last year.

He explained "consumers need much more protection.

"This is an area that does need some reform. At the moment there is a fragmented approach, a state-by-state approach."

His calls were backed by concertgoers and sports fans.

By contrast, Live Performance Australia (LPA) Chief Executive Evelyn Richardson told the inquiry "we think legislation may well be an overreaction.

"The extent of ticket scalping in Australia is very limited to specific instances and particular shows, but it's certainly not widespread across the sector."

Others, including the Federal Treasury, auction site eBay and ticketing companies have each told the inquiry legislation is not necessary.

In 2010, an investigation by the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council found scalping was not a major problem, and Ticketmaster says a legal resale market helps people who cannot attend an event.

Ticketmaster International spokesperson Christoph Homann stated "we believe that ticket scalping and other abuses in the general ticket market are often wrongly viewed as synonymous with the overall resale market."

In Queensland, fines of more than $2,000 can apply to scalpers, however, the LPA suggests that there is no evidence the laws actually work.

Richardson added "a lot of potential and existing online scalping is happening on websites that aren't actually even based in Australia, so the ability to even enforce those laws become meaningless."

Senator Xenophon says the industry's views do not tally with what he continually hears from fans.

He concluded "one alternative is to have a regulated resale market, but also there is also scope for concert promoters to behave a little differently in the way they sell tickets, so fans, fan clubs and sporting clubs might get first picks."

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