The GP Amendment Bill is on the Upper House notice paper for Tuesday, when Parliament resumes. The bill will triple the GP Park lockout from its current one week, and also give the AGPC virtually unlimited powers to hold other events within Albert Park whenever it likes.
But after getting a black eye a month ago when the Liberals, Greens, Animal Justice, and Legalise Cannabis all indicated they would not support the bill as it stands, Labor has avoided meaningful engagement with both the other parties and the affected community groups.
“We thought the Government would want to discuss the community’s concerns, and try to find a way to manage them,” said Albert Park Sports Clubs Association President Hugo Armstrong.
“But their priorities would seem to be elsewhere.”
Hugo said that in contrast, the community is grateful to the other parties for listening to its concerns about the impact of the bill on the many thousands of people who use Albert Park for other purposes, and the lack of justification for the proposed measures.
“The Liberals and progressive minor parties have shown an interest in the community’s views, and taken our concerns on board. It’s not always easy to stand up to Government pressure, but I don’t think the community will forget their support in next year’s election.”
Park lovers urged to write
In the meantime the many community groups and members fighting the extended lockout are continuing their campaign, and asking concerned Albert Park users to write to Minister Dimopoulos and other key politicians.
“The bigger picture is that the Government spends $100m+ annually on the AGPC’s event losses, as well as one-offs like this year’s $350m+ on a new pit building. Yet Parks Victoria’s annual budget to manage Victoria’s most popular Park is under $5m, and the State Labor Government has not committed funds to any major non-GP capital project within the Park since 2018. PV can’t even afford a boat to maintain the Lake.
“This massive imbalance is further accentuated by Park visit numbers. PV estimates there are 7.8 million visits to Albert Park annually. The AGPC says it had 465,000 attendances this year. So even before the Pit Building is taken into account, just 5% of Park visits are receiving 95% of the annual funding (and vice versa).
If the GP is going to continue in Albert Park until at least 2037 as per the secret contract with F1, the Government (and the alternative government) must commit to a more balanced funding model which addresses Albert Park Reserve’s importance as Australia’s most famous Park, and Victoria’s biggest community sports precinct,” says Hugo.
