NO insurance, no show, it’s as simple as that say Ipswich carnival ride operators.
Many showmen and women have carnivals in the blood, it’s generational and they are doing what their fathers did and their fathers before that. Except times are changing and things have become increasingly challenging.
The issue at hand is rising insurance costs that operators say will price them out of the market.
The situation is so dire that at 12pm on Saturday, ride and side show operators at the Ipswich Show stopped work for 15 minutes. They did this hoping to show the public what they would miss out on if country carnivals no longer had amusement rides.
Ride owners and operators said insurance hikes of up to 400-per-cent were completely unrealistic and impossible for the every-day man to commit to and still run a viable business.
And that’s what carnival rides and side show games are – they are businesses run by ordinary Australian families.
Tyrone Miller and his family operate amusement rides at shows. To him, its personal and to make an even stronger point, he dressed his children in red shirts emblazoned with the words ‘No insurance, no show’. The Forest Lake resident takes the issue seriously. He has to. This is how he puts food on the table, but more than that – showmanship has been in his family for generations. It would be a shame for that history to end with him due to exorbitant insurance costs.
Labor MP, Shayne Neumann, joined the showmen and women as they gathered to protest the costly hikes.
“I support small business,” he said, “families need more realistic support when it comes to insurance, as this is an exceedingly high rise that will see people struggle to continue doing what they do best – run rides and create fun games for show visitors.”
Showman’s Guild committee member, John Roberts, said the industry was in crisis and awareness was needed or next year the show wouldn’t have the rides and entertainment it has had for generations of show lovers.
Carnival ticket seller, Belinda Buckley, said sky rocking prices meant her future was uncertain.
What is certain though, is a compromise needs to be made. Shows, carnival rides and side show alleys are a vital part of the industry. It would be a shame to have that aspect disappear for good simply because insurance has priced carnival owners out of the market they have enjoyed for generations.