The Western Australian (WA) State Government will remove all venue capacity limits from July 18, as the state moves further down its Covid-19 recovery roadmap.
In phase four, which commences June 27, WA will do away with the existing 100/300 rule, which restricts gatherings to up to 100 people per single undivided space, and no more than 300 people in all, as well as permit all events except for large-scale, multi-stage music festivals.
A 2m2 safe distancing rule will apply to staff at venues that accommodate more than 500 patrons, while WA’s major sport and entertainment venues will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
The safe distancing rule will, however, be removed from July 18, when WA moves into Phase 5.
The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) welcomes the announcement. In a press statement, chief executive Claudia Sagripanti said the news provided momentum towards restarting the business events industry.
“Nigel Keen, EEAA board member and general manager of Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, has been actively working with the Western Australian Government and minister Paul Papalia to achieve this milestone for Western Australia, and we are delighted that the intensive lobbying work carried out is starting to gain traction,” said Sagripanti.
Sagripanti herself has also been actively working with the state’s chief medical officers and state government ministers to negotiate the return of business events under CovidSafe guidelines in all Australian states.
“Exhibitions and business events are the key to rebuilding economies, so the focus of our lobbying work with the government has been to highlight the sector’s capability to restart the economy – a top priority for business and governments in the current climate,” she added.
Australia’s business events sector contributes more than A$35 billion (US$24.2 billion) to the national GDP, runs over 430,000 events annually, and employs more than 229,000 people, according to EEAA.
