Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett hits back at cost of Shane Warne’s public memorial

Jeff Kennett has hit out at the cost of Shane Warne’s million-dollar state funeral which was funded by Victorian taxpayers.

A former premier of Victoria has hit out at the cost of Shane Warne’s million-dollar state funeral and questioned who should qualify for a similar service.

Jeff Kennett spoke out on the matter after it was revealed Mr Warne was farewelled in a tax payer-funded service at the MCG that cost $1.6 million.

Mr Kennett, who led the state between 1992 and 1999, acknowleged the cricket legend’s contribution to the sport but said the money could have been spent elsewhere.

“You go and speak to some of those people who are still waiting for their houses to be built after the floods or the fires many years ago, and when you spend $1.6 million on a funeral for a person,” Mr Kennett told 3AW.

Jeff Kennett spoke out on the number of state funerals held in Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“Forget who it is — who has already been highly successful and been rewarded by their country with honours etcetera, you’ve got to ask yourself ‘Is that an appropriate expenditure of public money?’.”

Mr Kennett went on to say state funerals were originally intended to be for government figures.

“I maintain it is inappropriate that public money is spent on people who have made a contribution - but that has already been recognised,” he said.

“For me, state funerals should be limited in terms of cost, or not staged at all. To spend $1.6million on Shane is not in the public interest.”

The cricket legend died aged 52 in March 2022.

However, Major Events, Sport and Tourism Minister Steve Dimopoulos defended the ceremony on Wednesday saying, commemorating the life of “iconic” Victorians was a cost worth paying for.

“There’s no right or wrong about this. What is right is celebrating the life of outstanding Victorians who have gone,” Mr Dimopoulos said.

“I think the better question to ask is how we provide the Victorian community with the best opportunity to honour and celebrate the life of people they’ve loved.”

Mr Dimopoulos went on to compare Mr Warne’s service with other figures who died in the past year.

Shane Warne’s memorial took place at the MCG. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Shane Warne’s daughter Summer spoke at the service. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

“These are iconic figures. Whether it’s Shane Warne or Archie Roach,” he said.

“All Victorians have the opportunity to celebrate their lives with dignity and some fanfare because it’s deserve.”

“I would rather be accused of being over the top than not celebrating and giving Victorians the chance to celebrate the life of iconic people in this state who have gone forever.”

Mr Dimopoulos said a public and large memorial was decided by the government in collaboration with Mr Warne’s family.

“We do these with dignity. We do them in consultation with the family and we do them in different venues because the venue relies on the connection with the person you are celebrating,” he said.

The MCG and Shane Warne statue on the day of his State Funeral to be held inside the MCG. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

“Whether it be the MCG or the Hamer Hall, I think you’ll find most Victorians have found a way to be part of the journey of the farewell of these high profile individuals.”

Eddie McGuire, who MC’d the service, also chimed in with support, saying the service gave a place for Victorians to mourn.

“In a lot of ways, we saw this as being Victoria’s funeral,” Mr McGuire told 3AW.

“I had to bury my mother with 10 people in the room (due to Covid) at the funeral.

“I got great succour out of the fact that we all came together for a collective funeral in the name of our great mate Shane Warne.”

The free service featured remote performances from Elton John, Robbie Williams and Chris Martin and more than 55,000 people attended.

Originally published as Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett hits back at cost of Shane Warne’s public memorial