Melbourne will lose the prestigious first race of the Formula One season after the Australian Grand Prix was cancelled for a second year in a row, with the Andrews government decreeing it was not safe given the federal government’s slow vaccine rollout.

Victoria’s Major Events Minister Martin Pakula confirmed the “very disappointing news” the decision had been made to cancel the F1 Grand Prix, and the MotoGP event at Phillip Island, which also would not go ahead this year as expected.