Racing Minister Martin Pakula has announced owners and connections of horses racing at the Melbourne Cup Carnival will not be allowed to attend the event at Flemington next week, despite the Government easing many coronavirus restrictions.
Key points:
- Mr Pakula said next week was “not a suitable time” to allow racing connections to gather at the Melbourne Cup
- The Boxing Day Test will be able to go ahead in Melbourne this year, with crowds of up to 25,000 people expected
- The Australian Open tennis is proving to be a “significant” challenge, as the Government tries to work out how to get hundreds of players and support teams through quarantine and into Melbourne
Mr Pakula said the Victoria Racing Club was “understandably disappointed” when he informed them of the decision today.
“The Government has determined that next week is not a suitable time for gatherings of that nature,” he said.
“It is the right decision and has been made in the interests of all Victorians.”
The Moonee Valley Racing Club had struck a deal with the Victorian Government allowing up to 500 owners and connections to attend the race meet, a decision which sparked widespread backlash at a time when Victorians could not have more than 10 people at a funeral.
Mr Pakula later said the decision was “a mistake”.
“I think the community sentiment in regards to the Cox Plate was pretty clear and I don’t think it would have been particularly different in regards to the Flemington carnival next week,” he said.
“It’s not a question of whether or not it was safe. In a place as large as Flemington of course you could conceive of a way that you could safely have a number of people.
“In the circumstances that we’ve been in, where Melburnians have been in such a significant period of restrictions … the judgement we’ve made, certainly informed by the reaction of the community, is that it wouldn’t conform with community expectations for there to be 1,000 or more people outside of those essential workers at Flemington next week.”
He said the decision would not affect the significance of the race, to be held on November 3 as part of the Spring Racing Carnival.
“The four days at Flemington will enthral racing fans and the Melbourne Cup will, as always, stop the nation,” Mr Pakula said.
The popular Fashions on the Field competition has gone digital this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
Entrants were urged to dress up and submit a photo of them wearing “fashion on your front lawn”, with finalists from each state to be chosen to enter a national final.
Boxing Day Test locked in, Australian Open ‘significantly greater challenge’
Today it was confirmed the Boxing Day Test will be played in Melbourne, a morale-boost for the Victorian capital, which has been hit hard by COVID-19.
Mr Pakula said he expected a crowd of around 25,000 cricket fans would be able to attend each day’s play between Australia and India at the MCG.
But he said the Australian Open tennis tournament, which is due to begin on January 20, was proving more difficult.
“The Australian Open, from a logistical point of view, is a significantly greater challenge than cricket,” he said.
“Apart from the issue of crowds you’ve got the issue of getting hundreds of players and their entourages into Melbourne, being quarantined, either here or in another part of the country, so the logistical issues with the Australian Open are significant.”
Mr Pakula said he had spoken to tournament director Craig Tiley this morning and was working with him to come up with solutions.
“We’re talking to them about the possibility of some sort of crowds at the Open but quite frankly, right now, getting those logistics in terms of getting people into Australia and into Melbourne is the focus of our conversations,” he said.
“The question of crowds will be something that we will deal with a little later on.”
