Jeff Kennett: Major events are more than a game
Changing the location of the Boxing Day Test or subverting the Spring Racing carnival carries a range of risks, writes Jeff Kennett.
Opinion
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I’ve always believed Victoria’s sporting year really starts with the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. That’s followed by the Australian Open tennis in January and February and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in March.
Then there’s the AFL competition that runs from March through to the finals in September before the Motorcycle Grand Prix in October.
In November we have our last international event, the Spring Racing carnival, before the glorious carnival begins again.
There are other events and competitions, of course, but the ones I’ve mentioned engage not only the Australian community but also attracts international coverage of our state.
That exposure is worth tens of millions of dollars, perhaps hundreds of millions.
Our country is big but our population is comparatively small. Victoria is the smallest mainland state, with about 24 per cent of Australia’s population, and we punch well above our weight because of the diversity of our activities and offerings. We succeed because our economy is not primarily dependant on one industry, such as mining, agriculture or tourism. We are a multifaceted economy that allows us, mostly, to ride the economic wave when mineral or agricultural prices dip, or when overseas tourists try somewhere else.
The point is that our major events, with the dozens of smaller events and festivals, are a central to Victoria’s economy, to our international exposure and, equally importantly, to our confidence. Their importance should never be underestimated.
The rolling nature of these events have given rise not only to investment in the hospitality industry, but also changed the way some of our services, such as the taxi industry, operate to meet the needs of those travelling to and from the events.
Melbourne also has the great advantage that most of our sporting venues are walking distance from the CBD.
These events have created an Outdoor University where thousands of people have acquired skills in catering, tentage, crowd management, hospitality and a range of other skills.
Those skills are recognised worldwide and have opened innumerable doors overseas for Australians. Indeed, I’d say the Outdoor University is arguably the most important outcome of our Major Events Program.
Importantly our Major Events Program has bipartisan support, as it should. Although I was attacked, often personally, by my political opponents when Victoria secured the Grand Prix. There were also quite vicious rallies against our decision to stage the event at a redeveloped Albert Park.
But when my team lost the 1999 election, the new Labor government embraced the Grand Prix, which was welcomed and understandable. A lot is said in the heat of opposition which must be reversed by a responsible government. Victoria has benefited from that bipartisanship for major events, sporting and cultural.
But there has been recent talk about the location and conduct of two of our major events, the Boxing Day Test and the Spring Racing Carnival. I am not opposed to competition around any event but I think there has been some illogical thinking that could potentially affect both events.
The Boxing Day Test has been held at the MCG for decades, in fact almost 50 years. It has built an international reputation and is staged at the MCG, the foremost stadium in Australia and the only one that can accommodate 100,000 people. Some sports officials believe that honouring tradition not have the same relevance it once had and commercial interest is paramount.
But I strongly disagree. What keeps sports alive and growing is the interest they generate among the people who attend — in other words, the customers. And the customer always comes first. Have a look at the commercial world where money, bonuses and profits were placed ahead of the interest of the customers.
There is no other stadium in Australia that provides for as many customers as the MCG. It is as well thought of as Lord’s in London.
If Cricket Australia moves the Boxing Day test to a smaller venue, they will have shown us that they have lost the plot. Worse, they risk substantially reducing the number of spectators who attend the event and reduce the international viewing audience because no other ground has the reputation of the MCG. I trust Cricket Australia, the MCC and the government can resolve this issue quickly. Victoria and the MCG are owed nothing, but logic says we have earned the right to keep the Boxing Day Test.
Meanwhile, our Spring Racing Carnival is being threatened by NSW announcing a series of lucrative events to be run at the same time.
I can understand Racing NSW wanting to introduce a range of races with huge prizemoney but I think it shows no regard for the industry as a whole. They are putting owners and trainers in an impossible position
If Racing NSW was more visionary and responsible, it would hold its events before or after our Spring Carnival. That way Australian racing would have two major seasons a year in our two most populous states.
Racing is a tough industry. Trainers work long hours, often for little reward. Racing NSW had the opportunity to show leadership and give the industry a fillip instead of dividing it.
Let’s hope it is big enough to reconsider so we have wonderful complementary carnivals of an international standard. Money alone will not do that, nor will imperfect scheduling.
For now, on with the games. Have a good day.
— Jeff Kennett is a former premier of Victoria.
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