Weber Bros Circus to pay City of Launceston $9000 but left with ‘extremely sour taste’

The general manager of a touring circus that was forced to cancel Tasmanian shows during last October’s floods says the company will pay up but feels shabbily treated by council officers.

Floods threatening Weber Bros Circus at Royal Park, Launceston, on October 14, 2022. Picture: Facebook/ Shane Bartlett

The general manager of a touring circus that was forced to cancel shows in Launceston during last October’s floods says the company will pay its $9000 debt but feels shabbily treated and will think long and hard about booking the council’s spaces on future tours.

Earlier in June, the City of Launceston voted to grant a further $1971 discount to Weber Bros Circus as a sign of good faith, after a report revealed the company owed council about $11,000 for venue hire and damages.

Weber Bros general manager Greg Hall had argued for the company to receive a full or partial fee waiver from council after three days’ worth of shows were cancelled at the height of the floods.

The circus, which toured Launceston from October 3–25, was located at Royal Park, which closed temporarily at the peak of North Esk River’s flood.

Council had already discounted the original bill by $1971, taking the total fee discount to $3942, in light of the three-day closure.

Weber Bros Circus toured Launceston from October 3-25, 2022. Picture: Facebook/ Weber Bros

Mr Hall, whose company is yet to pay the bill, told the Mercury, “Yes we’ll pay the bill, of course we’ll pay the bill.” It is due by July 15.

His dealings with council officers had left an “extremely sour taste” in his mouth, Mr Hall said.

He said that he had been making representations to council officers for many months but that it was only recently brought to councillors’ attention via what he said was a brutal report that suggested the company was refusing outright to pay.

The Mercury has seen correspondence showing that the council officer Mr Hall had been liaising with went on long-service leave at a key point in the discussions, which had not been handed over to a colleague.

He said that management of future Weber Bros tours would think hard about using City of Launceston facilities again.

“We’ll see what happens next time we’re touring Tassie,” Mr Hall said.

Launceston Acting Mayor Matthew Garwood stressed that council had now provided a total of six days’ discount and that the decision to close Royal Park during the floods – which led to the cancellation of Weber Bros shows – was the right decision and made in conjunction with the relevant authorities.

“The City of Launceston puts the safety of the community during emergencies, including flood events, first,” he said.

‘Thousands in lost revenue,’ circus says, as council offers olive branch

Thursday, June 15: The general manager of a touring circus that a Tasmanian council alleges owes it about $11,000 for venue hire and damage caused to the site says that a decision to close the site at the height of last October’s floods cost “tens of thousands of revenue lost”.

Weber Bros Entertainment Pty Ltd, the operator of Weber Bros Circus, and the City of Launceston are locked in a messy dispute, with the company claiming it should not have to pay $9855 in venue fees from its Royal Park residency between October 3–25.

Due to that month’s flooding event, a total of seven shows across three days – October 13 and 15-16 – were cancelled.

In a report presented to council, the report’s author said council had already discounted fees by $1971 in recognition of the three days lost.

A separate amount of $1190.35 for damage accidentally caused to the park’s water infrastructure is claimed.

In a letter dated June 11, Weber Bros general manager Greg Hall said he believed fees should be waived “due to the tens of thousands of revenue lost due to the council’s decision not to let us carry out our business activities”.

He argued that the circus’ entrance had been moved and that the timing of high tide on the relevant days meant patrons wouldn’t be impacted.

“There was no risk to the public,” he claimed.

“The park was in fact not closed, just our business was not allowed to operate.”

He said Weber Bros’ offer to file a Safe Work Management Statement, proving the safety of the operation, was declined.

On Thursday, council, which had been recommended by officers to refer the debt to Tasmanian Collection Service, instead passed an alternate motion offering another three days’ discount – a further $1971 – to Weber Bros conditional on the bill being paid in 30 days.

The motion’s seconder, Councillor Hugh McKenzie, council’s representative on the Municipal Emergency Management Committee, said that it wasn’t just council’s decision to close the park – the decision was taken in concert with organisations such as the SES and Tasmania Police.

“Those decisions were made and I don’t stand back from those,” he said.

The further discount was a show of “good will,” Mr McKenzie said.

He asked rhetorically why Weber Bros was yet to pay the separate $1190.35 in claimed damages when Mr Hall had repeatedly said the circus accepted liability.

Not my circus: Flooded fun-house in $11k council dispute

Wednesday, June 14: A dispute is brewing between a northern Tasmanian council and the owner of a travelling circus over an alleged unpaid debt to the council of approximately $11,000.

Details of the stoush between council and Weber Bros Entertainment Pty Ltd were contained in a report presented to the City of Launceston in advance of its ordinary meeting on Thursday.

Weber Bros hired Royal Park between October 3–25 last year for its travelling circus, incurring fees of $11,826, the report said.

Due to that month’s flooding event, a total of seven shows across three days – October 13 and 15-16 – were cancelled, with the fees reduced by $1971 to $9855: the amount now in dispute.

“The hirer is refusing to pay the fees associated with the use of Royal Park due to the weather and flooding event,” the report said.

In addition to the allegedly unpaid fees, council is claiming an additional $1190.35 for “cost incurred by the council to repair damage the hirer caused to the council’s infrastructure (not related to the severe weather event)”.

The report alleged damage to underground water infrastructure including “a main water feed (water ring main) pierced with a peg and crushed irrigation valve with decoder (irrigation infrastructure)”.

“Contractors were engaged by operations staff to urgently repair the damage as the water feed to the site was temporarily out of service affecting the event,” the report said.

There was also allegedly “minor” damage caused by anchoring the tent to a levee wall.

The report recommended council pursue and not remit – i.e. forgive – the debt.

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“If the recommendation is adopted, enforcement and recovery of the debt will be actioned in line with the council’s usual process,” the report said.

“The council’s officers consider that the reduction in fees for the days the site was not

available is reasonable.

“There are no further extenuating circumstance that would reasonably be considered appropriate to recommend remission of all or part of the fees levied.”

Weber Bros general manager Greg Hall told the Mercury that the report to council was “inaccurate”.

“The way [the report] is written is offensive to us,” Mr Hall said.

“Where it says we’ve refused to pay fees is absolute rubbish, we have never ever refused to pay fees.”

He said that Weber Bros had reached out to council back in March, setting out why it was requesting a fee waiver, but that the circus had never received a response.

Mr Hall said he sent council an additional letter on Sunday outlining the company’s position and why it believed it was entitled to a waiver or reduction.

Launceston Acting Mayor Matthew Garwood said that the issue would be debated at Thursday’s ordinary meeting.

“Councillors will take the time look at all the relevant information and approach the item with the same amount of care and inquiry, as we do with all agenda items,” he said.