I forgot - I rang up the Brisbane City Council yesterday.

BCC used to charge a hefty "Busking Licence Application Fee" as well as a savage "Busking Monthly Licence Fee", as well as only allowing those who pass Auditions (we will for the moment ignore the questions of musical taste or ability on the part of those conducting the auditions!) about once a quarter. I noticed that the only busker in the last few years was the blind sax player with his dog - who the Council tried to refuse a permit for a while ago. This caused considerable public outrage, including making it onto TV!

It appears now that all fees have been removed (it seems that they are now trying to 'encourage' buskers!), but you still need to track down the secret quarterly audition dates (You are not cleared for access to that information Citizen!) for access to only the Queen Street Mall (one was on today, but future ones are unknown!). A successful audition allows one to get a monthly permit, which has to be reapplied for each month. For the 2 Valley Malls, if you can get the guy to answer the mobile phone number which the nice guy on the phone took a while to track down for me, you can audition by agreement, and get a licence only for the Valley Malls on the spot.

Busking elsewhere is prohibited, but there are a few triers, most often in the railway tunnel at Central - none in the Valley (Brunswick street), or Roma Street, or South Brisbane. Police "move you on", if they find you.

Buggered if I know how you crack Southbank (The People Friendly Park - old site of 1988 EXPO - where busking is encouraged!), every time I ring them up to find out the information they tell me they will ring back and never do! Never seen any musical buskers there, only a few jugglers - nothing sharp except their wit, and no flames, etc.

Robin