Events Minister all in but ‘not confident’ of keeping Phillip Island GP

THE Victorian Minister for just about everything, The Hon. Steve Dimopoulos, is 100 per cent onboard with keeping the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island.

But in a frank interview with Gippsland ABC Radio on Wednesday this week, the Minister for Environment, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Outdoor Recreation said he wasn’t confident the Island would keep it’s most important major event.

“I attend the event every year, it’s such an incredible event,” said Minister Dimopoulos.

“They’re so skilful. It's absolutely iconic. And when you see that drone footage, racing along that beautiful coastline in Bass Coast on Phillip Island, it is literally what makes it.

“Well, two things make it special. It's a special race anyway, but it's special because of its location, and I know that it makes a huge impact on the tourism economy at Phillip Island and Bass Coast more generally," he said.

“I think that 40% of the economy of Phillip Island is contingent on tourism. So, we have put our best offer forward on this and we’ve increased our offer.

“We've met every term that Dorna Sports (MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group), who owned the franchise license, had requested of us. We've even increased the offer in terms of growing the event.

“The only thing we're not willing to meet is the request to bring it to the Albert Park, which is what Dorna wants.

“And I've been candid in the last couple of days in sharing that level of detail, which I would never normally do when it comes to license holder negotiations, because I think it's material to the community understanding what's at play here.”

But asked what the State Government had put on the table to Dorna, Minister Dimopoulos played those cards close to his chest.

“No, I'm not willing to talk about the dollars, but can I just say to you, we've matched what they asked. I've gone beyond that. I mean we've actually given an offer that goes beyond that in terms of increasing the event marketing and the fan experience but the only part of the offer we haven't matched, or the request, is moving it to an inner city location, in other words, Albvert Park.

“If you ask me if I'm confident, I'm not confident. And the problem is we're not willing to sell out Philip Island, and that's effectively what they're asking us to do.”

Asked when a decision might be made by the licence holder for the event, Mr Dimopoulos admitted he didn’t know.

“It's a good question,” he told ABC Gippsland Morning’s host Mim Hok.

“I'm not sure the decision’s been made yet.

“The offer only went in a couple of days ago. I think they would make a decision soon, I imagine but we see extraordinary value in Phillip Island, absolutely extraordinary value.

“The people love it. Last year's attendance was incredible. It was the biggest since 2012 at 91,000 people. It is iconic.

“People don't just go for the two-wheel race. They go because of the experience of spending a few days in that beautiful part of Victoria.”

Bass Coast Mayor, Cr Rochelle Halstead, has also been out and about spruiking the benefits of keeping the Australian round of the MotoGP World Championship at Phillip Island.

Here is Cr Halstead chatting with ABC TV News Mornings anchor Joe O'Brien:

And the transcript...

ABC Host (Joe O’Brien):

The Victorian Government has offered additional funding to the operator of the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in a bid to keep the event on Phillip Island. The contract for the Grand Prix is set to expire this year, and while it's unclear whether the government's offer has been accepted, the local community says the event is key to business and the local economy. Rochelle Halstead is Mayor of the Bass Coast Shire, and she joins us now from Inverloch in Victoria. Rochelle Halstead, welcome. So just how important has the MotoGP become for Phillip Island and the local economy?

Rochelle Halstead:

Oh, thank you for having me on your show tonight, Joe. Absolutely crucial to supporting our economy in the region of not just Bass Coast, but Gippsland as well. We've not yet received confirmation that the contract has been extended, but we do know that the government has put in an offer to Dorna, and we're really hopeful that that will get it across the line and give our community a little more certainty as they plan for future years ahead.

Host (Joe):

So just going into a bit more detail for us on just how important it is for the local economy. Have you got a few figures for us on how much it injects each year?

Rochelle Halstead:

Absolutely. Well, last year we had almost 90,000 people go through the turnstiles for the event, so it's a big swell to our economy. And they're talking around 100 million is the benefit not just, as I said, for Bass Coast, but for the broader Gippsland area. Our community got behind a big campaign that started at the end of last year, and that's just how much it means to our local community. It's really part of the fabric of our community, and we're really hopeful that the state government can get this contract signed and give us a bit more certainty into the future.

Host (Joe):

So is the concern that you could lose it to Melbourne, and what's your argument as to why Phillip Island is a better spot than Melbourne to host this?

Rochelle Halstead:

I understand that Melbourne is not an option, and that's because they need a lot more space around the track. I don't know if you've ever seen—you would have seen footage if a cyclist comes off their bike, they actually slide quite considerably, so the space around Albert Park doesn't allow for that, so that's not an option. I would argue that Phillip Island is the best place for this race because the riders absolutely love it, and the motorbike fraternity, shall we say, really enjoy that event. And I have to say that the iconic views that you get from the track that are beamed right around the world, there's no better advertisement for Victoria or for Australia. The views are absolutely sensational. But I do have to say, Joe, the riders tell us every year that it's their favorite track in the whole of the world event.

Host (Joe):

Yes, it is pretty stunning. So what's your call on the organizers and the state government now?

Rochelle Halstead:

Well, as Valentino Rossi, the MotoGP legend, said this week, the Phillip Island track is really special, and so we know it, the riders know it, and we just need those people in negotiations to understand that it's much deeper than just the event itself. It's a real feeling in our community who get really involved, and our local businesses get right behind it, so we're keen to see this contract signed.

Host (Joe):

That's a knockout blow at the end of the chat, bringing up the Valentino Rossi quote. Well played, Rochelle Halstead. Thanks so much for having a chat with us.

Rochelle Halstead:

Thanks.