Save Albert Park - Beyond the Barricades - 3CR News Commentaries, October 2000

Beyond the Barricades - 3CR News Commentaries, October 2000
Save Albert Park ~ aiming to relocate the Grand Prix to a permanent track ~

Monday 5 March, 2001

Yesterday, Sunday 4th, was Clean Up Australia Day. Thatąs what Bernie Ecclestone calls it too. In a couple of weeks itąll be Clean Up Malaysia Day and so on in the 15 other Formula One venues. Last year he Ścleaned upą to the tune of $1.8bn. Despite booster claims of economic benefit, Bernieąs clean-up leaves little behind except environmental damage. And after the past weekąs performance by press and TV, thereąs not a lot of journalistic dignity left either.

We donąt expect much from media with commercial interests in the Grand Prix. But as Terry Lane argued on 774 Radio (29th), the ABC was also effectively advertising this private commercial event in a public park. Sports news, 774ąs early morning, afternoon and drive programs, and TVąs Stateline on Friday - all sometimes seemed driven by the Jonathan Shier vision of a more business-oriented ABC. And the usually sensible - and also publicly funded - SBSTV news (3rd) reported as fact a Ś$130m. Grand Prix boost to the Victorian economyą (based on an economic model strongly questioned in todayąs Age Money section). It then claimed that local traders gained from the event, using a tiny and inconsistent sample in Armstrong Street opposite the main track entrance - not good reporting, as SAPąs surveys of traders could easily demonstrate.

There were some minor efforts at media balance. The Herald-Sun (1st) gave prominence to letters which challenged government priorities in funding the Grand Prix, and also reported attacks on the Corporationąs handling of local parking passes - a genuine civic issue. The Age (2nd) had a shot of the SAP protest tent, and Alan Attwood (3rd) noted that SAP continues to call for relocation of the race. Patrick Smith (The Weekend Australian) observed that: ŚIf the Grand Prix has been embraced by the Bracks government, there remains a small but inexhaustible civil resistance to the raceą. And he gave a fairly accurate account of SAPąs traditional Wednesday invasion of the track - this time by a Trojan truck carrying 20 people - though the protester who put a lock on the steering wheel didnąt really Śdisappear with the keyą. It was Ron Walker who quickly disappeared from the scene. And Śit remains incongruousą, Smith wrote, Śthat a recreational park should be put aside for a disruptive race that eats petrol and bursts eardrumsą. ŚIncongruousą: an excellent word, meaning Śout of placeą and Śabsurdą.

After a crash in Fridayąs practice session, one race team complained about track safety: an intriguing echo of SAPąs now totally vindicated case that the public road is unsafe - a case which, like the launch last week of our Parkwatch Report, has received almost no media exposure. Terry Lane eloquently expressed the case against the Grand Prix at Albert Park (Sunday Age, 4th), and aired the claim on crikey.com.au that Bernieąs current licence fee is US$18m. If itąs not, he challenged, tell us the true figure. All was overshadowed by the death of a race marshal and injuries to 7 spectators (race officials) or 15 (St John Ambulance) on race day. We refer to it because itąs properly triggered questions which SAP has asked from the beginning: about the need for a permanent purpose-built track, the dubious financial justifications, and issues of public safety and accident liability. After the race Ron Walker announced the claimed attendance figures before mentioning the death of the marshal (as Greg Baum said in The Age, 5th: Śall the sensitivity of a ball bearingą). On 774 Radio today Walker was not only Śunsureą of the infamous GP Actąs exemption of the Corporation from responsibility for spectators; he suggested a public appeal and an auction of driversą equipment to help the bereaved family; and when asked why major beneficiary (and Ronąs partner) Bernie shouldnąt send a cheque, he told John Faine: ŚDonąt start all this emotional claptrapą and rang off. He later remarked (774 News) apropos the death: ŚThatąs lifeą.

Jill Singer later told (774 Radio) of the secret evidence at the Casino licence hearing in 1993 that the successful Crown bidders were aware that Melbourne had won the Grand Prix from Adelaide, and of course Ron Walkerąs involvement in both - as this program reported last year. The Premierąs embracing of the Grand Prix is one thing, like Walkerąs embracing the Premierąs wife at Albert Park (Herald-Sun 5th), but how can this man be kept as head of Major Events, a walking conflict of interest if ever there was one? The major clean-up is long overdue.

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