Entertainment promoter Geoff Bell was responding to Paul Murphy, founder of the Australian Blues Music Festival, who addressed Goulburn Mulwaree Council in open forum on Tuesday night. Mr Murphy said the event could not lay claim to being the national Blues festival when it was attracting “second and third tier bands.”

“When I first came to Goulburn 20 years ago when the Blues Festival was at (the Recreation Area), it was an enormous event,” he said.

The Backsliders, Kevin Borich and The Foreday Riders were key acts in the early days but Mr Murphy said they had not been invited back.

“I love second and third tier bands but (my issue is) you promote the event and have banners in the main street saying it’s the National Blues Music Festival. It is not,” Mr Murphy said.

But he believed the event was on the cusp of reaching the heights of Tamworth Music Festival and the Elvis Festival at Parkes if more money was allocated and higher profile sponsors could be secured.

“Goulburn will become a national festival because it deserves to be,” he said.

“(But) it is not fair that you as a city have the National Chain awards here but you don’t even have the Chain band because you can’t afford it.”

Mr Murphy acknowledged he’d argued with a previous Mayor at The Tattersall’s Hotel several years ago and had been thrown out.

Cr Peter Walker said he understood Mr Murphy’s concerns but believed it came down to money.

“We could argue all night about whether we should have the Chain band and Kevin Borich. I think it is a budget issue and without the dollars it is very, very difficult,” he said.

Mr Bell’s response was much stronger.

“Everything the guy says is wrong and I will be applying for a transcript of what he said to the council because he is lying,” he told The Post.

“This is slanderous and there is not one shred of evidence to what he’s said...Who is he to judge what’s a good band and what’s not? Ask the bands that come how they feel about being described as second and third tier. We wouldn’t have venues full of people if they were.

“If he thinks that, then don’t go. We’ll leave it to the people who come to Goulburn and love the event to decide.”

Moreover, he said while he could not afford to secure Chain for the festival, founding member Phil Manning had endorsed the annual awards and regularly attended.

Under a contract, the council pays Mr Bell’s company, Laing Entertainment, $20,000 annually to run the festival. He took over its organisation from the council more than five years ago.

Each year, audited accounts are presented to the council and published in meeting business papers. In 2016 the event made a net loss of $348, with $36,064 in performance expenses and $24,750 in income reaped from venues hosting acts. 

Mayor Bob Kirk said Mr Murphy’s involvement came “from out of the blue,” but the council could consider whether more money should be allocated to the event.

“But a case needs to be made and it’s appropriate to wait for a report on the outcome og this year’s festival,” he said.

“Geoff Bell may well make some recommendations along the same lines. We will be very much guided by what he says.

“...The feedback is all good and positive and people participate and get involved. It is certainly not a first tier festival; it is not up there with Tamworth and Parkes and if we can help get it there, we’ll take a look at it. First the case has to be made but I take on board what he (Paul Murphy) says.”