$1M festival makes $3660 loss

Gosford Council has been told that last year's Brisbane Water Oyster Festival made a loss of $3660, despite claims that it had generated a turnover of close to $1 million.

The council has decided to write to the festival organisers stating the sponsorship conditions have not been met.

It will ask why audited reports for last year's Brisbane Water Oyster Festival had not been provided to Council as required by the sponsorship conditions.

It will ask why the Festival was run at a loss of $3660, rather than at a profit as required by sponsorship conditions, so that a minimum of 50 per cent of the profit could be used as seed funding for the following year.

It will inform the organisers that any future sponsorship would be conditional on providing information about last year's event and a detailed proposal for future events.

The council also asked for information from its acting director of community services.

It asked why the Brisbane Water Oyster Festival Report has only recorded part of the sponsorship provided by Council and whether there were any outstanding debts relating to the festival.

The report was considered in a confidential Council meeting last Tuesday, February 26.

The matter was discussed behind closed doors because the report contained "information that would, if disclosed, confer a commercial advantage on a person with whom the council is conducting or proposes to conduct business".

In a media release to Peninsula News after the festival last year, organisers estimated that more than 30,000 people attended the festival on Sunday, November 11.

Peninsula Chamber of Commerce president Mr Matthew Wales said that the festival generated a turnover of close to $1 million.

Gosford Council Agenda COM.C3, 26 Feb 2013