17 Week Licence Period Extended
Claims by Parks Victoria that the set-up and dismantling period was 15 days shorter than 1997 are not supported by our observations. Installation works for the Kinhill Site Office commenced on 11 December 1997, 7 days earlier than in 1997. Erection of Grand Prix trackside infrastructure commenced in the week beginning on 5 January 1998, and remained for 19 days longer than in 1997. Restoration of sports fields took an extra 33 days and passive areas an extra 13 days.

At the end of the 17 week period, when all infrastructure should have been removed, the Fangio Stand (approximately 20% of the grandstand seats) remained, along with 22 shipping containers and part of the works compound.

This grandstand, the last to be dismantled in 1997 also, was not removed until 24 April (compared with 5 April in 1997) and the works compound was not totally removed until the first week of May (third week of April in 1997). Restoration works were not completed until 14 May - a total of 22 weeks for GP-related works.

This longer occupation occurred despite the fact that the Australian Grand Prix Corporation erected 2 fewer complete grandstands and 25 fewer grandstand sections in 1998.

The licensing arrangements between Parks Victoria and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC) remain commercial-in-confidence.

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Disruption of Sport
Sports grounds were affected from late January 1998 to late July, a period of 6 months.

Ovals that carried significant infrastructure were unavailable for play in most cases from the beginning of February, and in 3 cases from late January.

Although there was some improvement in removing infrastructure from sports fields and commencing restoration of ovals, only 8 fields were available for amateur sport matches by the end of April. On 4 fields play was not observed until early May, and on 3 fields until mid-May. Matches were not played on 3 other fields until late May or early June.

Field 18 was not released for match play until 24 July 1998. Not one amateur club football match was played on Oval 21 for the third year in a row. The only football matches played on the oval were during the University Games in late September, six months after the 1998 Grand Prix.

Touch football events to be held in Albert Park as part of the 1998 Australasian Public Sector Games in 15-19 April had to be transferred to a venue outside the park as the sports fields were not up to the standard required.

During the race period expensive facilities were closed for periods varying from 4 days to 6 weeks - Melbourne and Aquatic Sports Centre (cost $65 million) was closed to the public for 4 days; the hockey/tennis complex ($800,000) and the golf driving range ($1.5 million) were closed for I week; and the newly extended public golf course (cost $750,000) was closed for 6 weeks.

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Impact on Recreation
Passive recreation areas were affected from mid-December 1997, when the Kinhill Site Office was installed on the dogs-off-lead area, until mid-May when restoration work was finally completed on the large area occupied by the Fangio Stand.

Once again cyclists, walkers, joggers and picnickers had to put up with threats to safety, environmental degradation and restricted access. They had to be wary of vehicles, avoid the numerous wire fences and buildings in former open areas, search for openings in crash barriers, and negotiate detours around infrastructure and the limited access around the Lake.

Use of the Children's Community Playground was again severely affected by the proximity of the works compound, Kinhill site office, construction of adjacent grandstands, and restricted access. Heavy vehicle movements on the three roads/paths close to the playground are continuous during the Grand Prix period.

In 1998 restoration work was not completed until mid-May, and even then further work had to be conducted in November 1998.

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Permanent Impact of the Grand Prix
The requirement of the AGP Act 1994 that the park must be "restored as soon as practicable after the end of race" by the AGPC to "a condition reasonably comparable to its condition immediately before the beginning of the period" has yet to be achieved.

Restoration of sports fields remains slow, and many other areas of the Park do not recover properly between races, e.g. areas damaged by concrete barriers and the Fangio Stand area.

In 1997 AGPC-funded permanent viewing mounds were constructed in three areas of the Park. These mounds were not included in the Albert Park Master Plan and are not consistent with the vegetation strategies of the Master Plan which place importance on vistas across the park.

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Park Taken Over by Tobacco and Other Commercial Advertising
Commercial signage relating to the Grand Prix was in the park for 3 months from 12 January till the first week of April 1998. 187 signs were recorded by the end of January, including 14 advertising alcohol, and hundreds more appeared in February and March.

TAC signage was conflned to the single message "If you drink and drive, you're a bloody idiot". The "Speed Kills" message was noticeable by its absence.

We have compiled evidence of what we believe to be breaches of conditions of the tobacco advertising exemption granted to the event. The AGPC has been granted an exemption for 1999 despite warnings in 1997 from the Federal Department of Health that the Corporation would be required to give "an assurance that no further breaches will occur".

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Failure of Parks Victoria as the Responsible Park Custodian
Parks Victoria has ignored calls for an open and comprehensive study of the impact of the Grand Prix on the park environment and its users.

At the 1998 Grand Prix Parks Victoria occupied corporate facilities located on Oval 21 (used as a run-off during the race) which is the most badly damaged sports field in the Park. As Parks Victoria claimed exemptions under the FOI Act 1982 in response to respond to SAP FOI requests on this matter, it is not known whether the corporate package is being exchanged for part of the licence fees payable by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.

Parks Victoria appears to be budget-poor, while bearing costs of Grand Prix-related works, such as relocation of the memorial fountain and reinstallation of the skate ramp, as well as the huge depreciation costs of the track and pit garages.

In addition, Parks Victoria appears unable or unwilling to enforce the 17 week licence period.

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