By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
We had thought that the push to build the holographic concert ABBA Voyage in Melbourne was dead, buried and cremated. Silly us. That was before we heard that Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was a superfan of the project.
“Oh she’s mad for it,” a senior government source told us.
ABBA Voyage is a hit 40 years after the band split up.Credit: Johan Persson
The government has a crack unit crunching the numbers to show the potential benefits for the state’s events economy of building a special venue to house the digital concert, which mixes live music with computer-generated images of the super-group in their 1970s heyday. And a new venue close to the CBD is under consideration.
Our previous update came in February from Victoria Racing Club chairman Neil Wilson, whose site at Flemington has long been considered a potential venue for the special amphitheatre and who said the talks were “confidential, and it’s not over”.
It was a step change since the previous July. The government accusations of “greedy” directed at promoters appear to have been smoothed over and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos is still pushing the event.
It is well documented that Allan is a Swiftie, as in a Taylor Swift superfan. But she was also spotted at a private party hosted by Visy box billionaire Anthony Pratt observing a performance by ’70s and ’80s soft rock icons Air Supply.
Premier Jacinta Allan.Credit: Jason South
The recent announcement that NFL team Los Angeles Rams will play a regular season game at the MCG in 2026 shows the government is still addicted to bread and circuses.
No doubt supporters of the ABBA venture have pointed out that ABBA Voyage would fill hotel rooms all year round, not just for a single NFL game.
Is local promoter TEG still involved? “No comment,” said a spokesman.
The London concert, still the only one in the world, is updating the set list in time for its third anniversary at the end of next month, but the promoters there declined to comment to us.
The Victorian government said: “As Australia’s major events capital, we’re always working to secure major events that boost tourism and support jobs across the state.”
Between $60 million and $100 million is needed to build the arena and set up the high-tech visuals, which transport audiences back to an ABBA concert circa 1978 as youthful holographic likenesses of the Swedish supergroup – Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – take to the stage, accompanied by a live band and backing singers.
Surely that’s worth dropping the Suburban Rail Loop to fund?
Six and out?
Could “Senator Six-pack’s” time in the upper house be coming to an end?
Rumours out of the Canberra bubble suggest David Van, a former Liberal senator for Victoria booted to the crossbench by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after several concerning allegations made by his colleagues, won’t be seeking another term.
Will former Liberal senator David Van – now sitting on the crossbench – put his hand up for another six-year term? Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
In 2023, independent senator Lidia Thorpe and former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker accused Van of inappropriate touching and harassment, allegations he denied. Later that year, this masthead reported that Van had used his private Instagram to flirt with women, urging them to comment on his photos with the hashtag #senatorsixpack.
Van has until next Thursday to decide whether he’d like to renominate for another six-year Senate term and put his political future in the hands of the people of Victoria on May 3. With chatter that he won’t be returning, we called the good senator to ask, but received no response.
But Van might have a financial incentive to mount a likely unsuccessful run. If he loses, he will be eligible for a $105,000 “resettlement allowance,” a one-off payment provided to parliamentarians who fail to be re-elected. Even we struggle to keep up with all the perks sometimes.
Dog days
We last encountered billionaire pub baron Justin Hemmes causing all manner of irritations in the picture-perfect NSW South Coast hamlet of Narooma, where his maremma sheepdogs keep wandering off his sprawling holiday lair and winding up all over town.
Hemmes’ dogs were the talk of Narooma Facebook groups, and it seems as if since our last item in March, someone is trying to rein them in. Last week, on another community social media group, someone had sought a local trainer for two large maremma dogs in Narooma.
Justin Hemmes owns four businesses in Narooma on the NSW South Coast.Credit: Louise Kennerley
Hemmes, whose Merivale has Sydney nightlife in a chokehold and is currently plotting an assault on Melbourne, owns four establishments in Narooma, including the local pub and fish and chip shop. However, his presence has never quite gelled with the town’s population of sea-changers and Canberra public servants heading to their holiday dachas.
It’s been a rough year for Hemmes, with claims of sexual harassment, exploitation and drug use at Merivale’s high-profile Sydney venues. Hemmes said he was “devastated” by the allegations. The company also agreed to pay $19.25 million to settle a lawsuit bought by former employees who said they were underpaid.
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