I recently had an urgent surgery to have a malignant growth removed. Unfortunately, this meant I was too immobile to attend the Melbourne event of the annual hard rock festival Good Things, this year headlined by the greatest band of all time, Tool.

I explained my situation to OzTix, Good Things’ ticketing provider, and requested a refund for two tickets – but was denied on the grounds I hadn’t purchased “refund protection”.

I was then directed to a resale platform, Twickets, which only allows resale at the initial cost price. This is a poor option for tickets to events that are yet to sell out, as buyers can simply buy from the primary vendor at the same price point.

Disappointed, the experience got me thinking about the considerable consolidation of the Australian ticketing market, and the addition of “refund protection” as an extra cost.

It’s not just fans who suffer. The lack of competition in this market is negatively impacting artists and promoters alike.

As event tickets became digitised throughout the 2000s, companies in Australia and overseas started to integrate “refund protection” as an optional purchase at the point of sale.

This additional cost was adopted by the Australian market wholesale during the pandemic. With lockdown-related uncertainty plaguing the events sector, ticketing providers needed to mitigate liability for cancellations and no-shows.

Much of this liability has been passed onto consumers. Most providers no longer bother with robust or discretionary refund policies, no matter how severe the circumstances.

And consumer law only protects consumers if an event is cancelled or postponed – not if they’re unable to attend. If refund protection isn’t purchased, providers are off the........

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