Michael Schumacher at the 2010 Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park
New South Wales is once again talking up the prospect of playing host to the Australian round of the Formula One world championship, following news that last year’s running of the event, at Melbourne’s picturesque Albert Park, cost taxpayers $50 million.
One-time AFL player and current state opposition major events spokesman, Justin Madden, has been quick to brazenly assault the coalition Baillieu Government, branding them “dithering”.
The man who played 332 games for Essendon and Carlton, went on to say that the situation is a “slap in the face” for Grand Prix Chairman, Ron Walker, before reiterating his stance that the government is dithering.
But tourism minister, Louise Asher, who oversaw the arrival of Formula One at Melbourne as part of the Kennett government, hit back, claiming that it was the Bracks and Brumby Labor Governments’ who have inflicted the misery on taxpayers’ hip pockets.
Asher describes the current five-year deal, due to expire in 2015, as a “typical Labor contract”.
Negotiations for the next contract are due to commence in 2013 or 2014.
One question now: what have we learnt from this? Anything at all?
Well, if there is one thing which can be taken away from this news, it is this: Justin Madden is obsessed with the word “dithering”!
If the government is so dithering, Justin, why then, is your party not in government?
Clearly, this man has felt lonely and forgotten, which explains his unjustified, brazen attack, on a government which has been in power for a mere eight months and who have already promised more than the Labor government did in their eleven-year reign.
And what else have we learnt?
Nothing really, this news is old, it seems to come up every two or three months when little else is happening, and matters seem to have progressed no further.
We knew the taxpayer would lose out five years ago! We knew that New South Wales want to steal the event.
So this means, sometime in September or October, we can very much expect to see this matter appear once more!
No more time wasting, considering what grim fate awaits Melbourne, bring on the action of this weekend’s German Grand Prix already!
AW
Guest
Australia will only get a race after 2015 if we are prepared to hold it as a night race. The late afternoon slot in late March is just stupid. For Melbourne, this means a permanent track with full lighting needs to be constructed. Sandown is the ideal place, it is ripe for redevelopment, remove the horse racing track (no one goes there anyway) and redesign a new track with multipurpose facilities that can provide year round employment.
Uncle Bob
Guest
Agree 100 percent. Imagine if all that money they have used since 1996 to put up, then pull down the circuit every year was put into a permanent facility. We would have a track up there with the Bahrain, German and Japanese tracks. Instead we got nothing!
Stuart Fazakerley
Roar Rookie
Agreed. Lindsay Fox wants to build a track at Avalon, let him. Else, hold it at Sandown or Phillip Island or something. In truth though, I don't really mind if we lose it to NSW. If there's a state government who could screw it up worse than we did, it's them.
Uncle Bob
Guest
You will find a lot of the 50 million is for the setup costs of building and pulling down the circuit every year. If only they built up Sandown, Calder Park or Phillip Island the race would be fine. Sandown is a better track to watch racing at because it slopes downhill, you can see everything from the grandstands. I would be going there. Funny how we 'need' to have this at Albert park to 'promote' Melbourne. Do they need to do this at Nurburgring, Silverstone or Monza. All those circuits are out Whoop Whoop and they are damn legendary places. What's Melbourne? It is loathed by all and sundry, the racers hate temp tracks and the citizens hate it because of the waste of public money. Noone is happy. We need to get rid of Ron Walker, first thing. Then we need a permanent track that is for the benefit of car racing. He has been sucking on the public tit his whole life. He needs to be given the big 'e'. The biggest dole bludger Australia has ever produced that man. People go to a car race out at Bathurst for f#@%s sake! The location is pretty irrelevant. We need a proper track, not that park garbage.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
No, its not worth it. Governments should not subsidise any elite sport - they should subsidise participation sport, because it reduces health costs, but elite sport should be funded by sponsors, advertisers or paying punters. And, yes, I include the Olympics, the AFL, the NRL and horse racing in this.
Sharminator
Roar Rookie
true .... but unlike football or rugby Formula 1 grand prix isnt exactly a mass participation sport that all of us can aspire to play one day, its a one off event, once a year, involving a small number of participants, most of whom are not Australian. Also, unlike winning medals in or holding the Olympics of Commonwealth games, little prestige comes from holding an F1 grand prix. Again the question comes back to .. what is the cost versus the benefit .. there seem to be few actual benefits ... and the attitude of F1 bosses is that they simply go where the money is .. if you dont give us money .. we go somewhere else.
Conks
Guest
The Melbourne GP is one of the few races that loses money each year. Interestingly, when I went in March, not all the teams had merchandise tents for customers to buy products. Just shows you what they think of the Australian market. Sadly, despite Mark Webber's success, Australians just don't care enough about F1.
Mick
Guest
If the government did not use taxpayers money there would be no sport in oz
BigAl
Guest
It would have to be admitted that one year it did attract George Harrison and a couple of his mates ! - but other than that I can't recall anyone else
BigAl
Guest
The article gives me images of Bernie Ecclestone chuckling gnome like off in the corner while politicians are centre stage posturing about '...whose fault it is...' and who is going to take over running it etc... in this long running and tacky saga This guy is literally laughing all the way to the bank.
Al from ctown
Guest
You don't think muddy water and baron swampland filled with shipping containers is appealing to the rich traveling F1 type? Lol yeah I guess your right.... Maybe gridlocked traffic and terrible town planning would be better... Lol -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download The Roar's iPhone App in the App Store here.
Johnno
Guest
Yes i don' thinkit adds tourist dollars anymore. Maybe it might add revenue as appealing to foreign business that it is a happening place to invest in melbourne, but sceptical to on that point. Maybe it is a waste of time and money.
Sharminator
Roar Rookie
Boring. Waste of Money. Why should we shell out money to rich people to race fast cars ... I dont think in terms of tourism it attracts anyone to Australia ... as there are 10 or 15 other races in other countries. Benefits??? None. Costs? Lots