VICTORIA is circling the Riverina's biggest music festival as planned new NSW laws threaten its future north of the Murray River.
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Organisers of Tocumwal's Strawberry Fields, which draws 9500 patrons, have been invited to shift south in the face off a crackdown on festivals in NSW.
The NSW Lower House this week passed a bill that tightens regulations on music festivals and includes a high-risk listing for events.
Co-founder and director of Strawberry Fields Tara Benney said a lack of consultation from the government about the bill and concerns about its impact had put a cloud over Tocumwal remaining home to her event.
"It certainly makes us question whether NSW is where we want to stay in the long term and it hurts me to say that, because we have such a good relationship with our stakeholders," Ms Benney said.
"We've already been approached by the Victorian government.
"Victorian music bodies are making it clear they're not following the path of NSW."
Ms Benney declined to say if a move to Victoria would see the festival shift to the southern side of the Murray River or further afield.
"It's really early days and we can't say, if we go, where we would go and it's something I don't want to consider," she said.
Member for Murray Helen Dalton told fellow MPs during their debate on the bill this week that it was detrimental to festivals
"Strawberry Fields, for example, is keeping the small town of Tocumwal alive," Ms Dalton told the Lower House.
"It brings an estimated $2.6 million to the broader region every year. Tocumwal is on its knees thanks to this government's dreadful water policies and the town cannot afford to lose this festival."
Ms Benney said the government's approach failed to take into account the work done with the council and emergency services locally.
She said the bill lacked safeguards on the power of authorities and she hoped amendments were made in the Upper House.
Strawberry Fields has paid for four to eight police to attend the festival and crime had fallen each year recently, Ms Benney said.
