Opposition parties slam brakes on proposed grand prix change

3 days ago 7

Dog walkers of Albert Park are celebrating a rare victory over one of the world’s richest sporting empires after the Victorian government withdrew from state parliament legislation that would have extended the annual Formula 1 lockout from one week to three.

The decision to shelve the proposed change will also renew scrutiny on the terms of the confidential contract Victoria signed with F1’s global owners, Liberty Media, to extend Melbourne’s hold on the race through to 2037.

A source with knowledge of the contract said F1 had pushed for an expanded race period to increase their control over access to the park and images broadcast from the circuit to extract more money from sponsors. “They want to own the whole lot, Netflix-style,” the source said.

The collapse in support for legislation may leave the Victorian government in breach of its Formula 1 contract.

The government last month introduced to parliament legislation to triple the “race period” – the duration for which Albert Park is closed to joggers, walkers and other users to prepare for and stage the Australian Grand Prix – from seven days to up to 21.

The move infuriated residents who endure several months of disruption while temporary stands are erected for the event but can still access their park for all but one week a year.

Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell could not be convinced to support the legislation.

The legislation was due to be debated in the Legislative Council on Thursday but was shelved by the government after one of the crossbench MPs Labor was relying on to pass the bill, Georgie Purcell of the Animal Justice Party, said she would not support it in its current form.

A series of last-minute negotiations between senior government figures and Purcell failed to secure her vote. “The grand prix is an important event for the government and many Victorians, but so is access and amenity to the Albert Park Lake,” Purcell said.

The opposition’s spokesman for tourism, sport and major events, Sam Groth, called on the government to explain why it had pulled the legislation.

“Key questions remain as to why the Allan Labor government was so insistent on extending the race period ... despite a lack of evidence the move was needed,” he said.

“We have stood with the local community and sporting groups while the government has acted in an arrogant and secretive way.”

Last month, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos told parliament the extended race period was critical to separate cyclists and pedestrians from delivery trucks and other heavy equipment used to build the race circuit and set up the event.

Dimopoulos said that while the grand prix had operated for 30 years at Albert Park within the seven-day window, the event had become significantly larger and more time was needed to assemble and dismantle race infrastructure.

Dimopoulos declined to comment on the government’s F1 contract. A government spokesperson said debate on the legislation had been adjourned to a later date. “The Grand Prix Amendment Bill is ensuring we strike the right balance of maximising public access and safety at Albert Park,” the spokesperson said.

Two sources with knowledge of the staging demands for the grand prix confirmed that the current lockout period, which begins at midnight on the Monday of race week and ends on midnight the day after the event, was too short for the increased size and complexity of the event.

A record crowd of nearly 466,000 people attended this year’s four-day race weekend. Next year’s attendance is likely to top this number as Melbourne’s Oscar Piastri speeds towards this year’s driver’s championship and Netflix gears up for an eighth season of its trackside series Drive to Survive.

Race day tickets went on sale on Wednesday and sold out within hours.

Although this year’s event cost taxpayers more than $100 million to stage, the government says it added $323.9 million to the state’s economy and supported more than 1600 jobs.

Deputy Liberal leader Sam Groth says he supports the Australian Grand Prix but not the proposed extension of the race week.

Groth had indicated that Liberal and National MPs, while supporting the grand prix and other provisions in the legislation such as doubling the annual sum provided to Parks Victoria to manage the park, would block the proposed extension of the race period. The Greens were also opposed to the change.

Greens MP Katherine Copsey described it as an “attempted public land grab” by the government. “Albert Park is a public space, and it should be for the local community, not a corporate paddock,” she said.

This masthead revealed earlier this year that the government had also failed to deliver on a contractual agreement to provide new permanent or temporary corporate hospitality facilities, which included more than doubling the capacity of the exclusive Paddock Club from 2000 to 5000 people.

Under the terms of the contract, the new corporate digs were supposed to be ready for next year’s race but will instead be available in 2028 at the earliest.

The long-terms rights to the Australian Grand Prix were secured by the Victorian government in 2022 in the face of a rival $1 billion raid by NSW. The final negotiations were conducted by former premier Daniel Andrews with F1 boss Stefano Domenicali.

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