Local car enthusiasts flocked to Princess Park on Sunday to join about another 100 Holden, Ford and other classic cars owners who drove from Mile End to Gawler to protest against the Marshall Liberal Government’s Decision to axe the Adelaide 500.
Local Member of Parliament, Tony Piccolo who was at Princess Park to welcome the drivers as they arrived, said we need more events to create and support jobs given that South Australia has the worst unemployment rate in Australia.
“Instead, the Marshall Liberal Government axed an event which supports hundreds of jobs and six months later it still hasn’t announced a replacement.”
According to the government’s own numbers, the 2019 Adelaide 500 attracted 254,000 people, generated $45.9 million in economic activity, created 435 jobs, lured 15,200 interstate and overseas visitors and supported 90,000 visitor nights.In November last year, Premier Steven Marshall announced he was creating the Events Advisory Group. He said the group would act as a “think tank” to “supercharge” events in South Australia, helping to “boost bed nights” and “create jobs”.
“But the reality is that more than six months later, the government has failed to announce one new event for South Australia,” said Mr Piccolo. The SA Labor Opposition has reached an agreement with Supercars Australia to bring back the Adelaide 500 to the streets of Adelaide if Labor is elected into Government in March 2022.The government Decided to axe the Adelaide 500 before thinking about the consequences or what it would replace the race with.Mr Piccolo said to make things worse the Government have also Decided to undertake a fire sale of all the Adelaide 500 assets.
“As one car enthusiast said on Sunday, the Premier has behaved like a child throwing his toys out of the cot,” said Mr Piccolo.
That’s why Labor has reached agreement with Supercars to bring back the Adelaide 500. This would bring back the visitors, bring back the economic activity and bring back the jobs.