Steve Price: We need to stop saying ‘no’ to things for the sake of Melbourne’s revival

Cancelling major public events only to backflip days later isn’t good enough for a city that stakes its reputation on being fun and vibrant. We have to stop saying no, for our city’s sake.

Victoria is slowly reopening and it can't come soon enough, writes Steve Price. Picture: Getty

It feels like Melbourne and Victoria are on the brink of feeling normal again.

In three weeks’ time AFL footy will return to the MCG with 50 per cent crowd capacity as Richmond takes on the old enemy Carlton in the traditional Thursday night opening to the season.

As reported in the Saturday Herald Sun last week even Richmond members with reserved seats – most who paid in full last year and didn’t attend one game – will be forced into a seat lottery to get in the gate.

Lucky seat holders won’t even find out if they have been successful until March 9, just nine days before the game. It seems the AFL is yet to decide on crowd numbers which given the parlous state of the competition last year is probably only fair.

But to hear that siren sound, combined with the roar of whatever size the crowd, will be so much better than this same night 12 months ago when there was no one there.

The AFL has announced that a crowed of 50,000 will be allowed during round 1. Picture: Getty.

Getting back to normal will have many signposts in our city and State. Thankfully someone talked sense into the increasingly erratic Melbourne City Council and the Moomba festivities will proceed across the Labour Day long weekend.

Just a week ago Lord Mayor Sally Capp played fun police and cancelled the event then forgot to tell the State Government and was forced into an embarrassing backflip about five minutes later.

Now that vaccinations have started and we have this virus on the run we need to start to get back to the fun, vibrant and liveable city that Melbourne built its major events reputation on.

There will be some risks involved but it’s time to have fun and free ourselves from the daily downbeat briefings from Premier Andrews and his predictable statistical update that has made us all feel miserable.

The cancel culture that took hold in 2020 needs to disappear.

I concede Moomba isn’t the greatest annual festival held in Australia – think Adelaide’s Fringe for example — but it’s our Moomba, so let’s celebrate it.

Stupidly the council has decided to cancel the multicultural parade down Swanston Street — the Moomba Parade — and even more ridiculously won’t let eccentric people dressed as chickens try and fly while jumping into the Yarra from a bridge.

How the Birdman Rally can be considered a COVID risk — yet playing the Australian Open with crowds was OK — escapes me.

It’s probably too late but both of those events should proceed.

We have to stop saying no.

The Moomba Parade isn’t allowed to go ahead but the festival will. Picture: Ian Currie

Anzac Day is another perfect example.

As a letter writer to the Herald Sun, Lyle Geyer of Essendon, pointed out this week that Sydney’s Mardi Gras, Melbourne’s Black Lives Matter protest last year, and crowds back at AFL matches were all sanctioned events, while Melbourne’s Anzac Day march was cancelled months out.

Sense has prevailed and the march, with strict operating guidelines, will now go ahead after negotiations between the State Government and the RSL late this week.

How anyone thought that an open-air parade organised by logistical experts from the military featuring disciplined ex and serving soldiers, sailors and airmen was a COVID risk is beyond crazy.

The march itself is along one of the widest boulevards in Melbourne but still the RSL wanted to say no.

Disgracefully – but not surprising given the ACT Government’s political leaning – the national capital Canberra has cancelled its march, as has Hobart.

We have to stop saying no.

The next big tick that has to happen goes to the very heart of many of our suburban and regional communities and that’s local sport.

It seems an overly-cautious AFL and the bloated bureaucracy that surrounds footy is erecting barriers that might be too onerous for many clubs to jump.

I’ve seen some of the detail required to stage a weekend football match at a local oval and it’s ridiculous.

The Victorian RSL tried to make the case that the ANZAC Day march was a health risk not worth taking for the second year in a row. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

In 2020 country towns that never saw a COVID case were forced to stand down the weekly event that in many cases was and is the glue that holds their community together.

Saturday footy and netball brings those communities together like nothing else can.

The rules and regulations being set for 2021 might see that happen again if we are not careful. One regional club I am familiar with is facing weekly costs in the thousands of dollars and are not sure if they can afford it.

A crowd of up to one thousand – so everything from fifty people and up — will require strict ticketing procedures using a ticketing agency. All gates will need to be strictly manned and QR codes will be required if bars are open, or food sold.

Games that might attract in excess of a thousand spectators will have to divide the venue into zones and stagger start times for volunteers, cleaners, bar and canteen staff.

So much for turning up on a Saturday morning and driving into the ground and parking your car on the hill to use the horn to celebrate the home team’s first goal.

The AFL and local councils need to work very hard not to rip the guts out of local communities desperate for life to return to normal.

Just like the RSL and Melbourne Town Hall we need to have our annual signposts to look forward to in 2021 as we recover from a horrible 2020.

Footy sirens, marching bands and celebrating a hometown win are an important part of our COVID recovery – just let us get back to normal and start saying “yes, we can”.

One year ago we were in a very different place — you only need to look back at your diary if you keep one to realise that.

COVID was something we didn’t really understand.