The organisers of a Snowy Mountains music festival want the ombudsman to evaluate a decision by liquor authorities to take regulatory action against them after a 13-year-old girl was found drunk in a public toilet during the event.
Snowtunes Pty Ltd say they are taking steps to resolve the dispute with the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing after the young girl was found intoxicated in the event's female toilets at Jindabyne on Saturday.
"The organisers require OLGR to provide clarity and evidence to support their claims," Snowtunes said in a statement.
"These issues were not raised with Snowtunes organisers post the event, and the organisers are taking steps to resolve the situation with OLGR by providing all evidence and supporting statements from qualified personnel that stand by Snowtunes in refuting the claims made in this press release."
OLGR director of compliance and enforcement Anthony Keon said an alarming number of serious issues were detected at the all-ages, family-friendly festival.
"OLGR inspectors and police at the festival found controls and security supervision to be seriously lacking and insufficient for the 3600 patrons in attendance," Mr Keon said in a statement.
He said the focus on preventing people "jumping the fence without paying for tickets" distracted staff from monitoring the general crowd.
"They (staff members) dropped the ball on what was going on in the general crowd and mosh pit areas, and serious intoxication issues arose as a result."
OLGR is pursuing further inquiries into the alleged breaches.
Share
