The Victorian Greens have helped secure a major win for locals in the South by forcing the Allan Labor Government to shelve legislation that would have tripled the annual lockout period of Albert Park for the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The Greens say the collapse of the Bill is a win for Albert Park residents and community groups who fought against the extension of the race period, which would have locked locals out of the park for up to three weeks each year.
Victorian Greens MLC for Southern Metropolitan, Katherine Copsey, said the Greens had opposed the Bill from the outset, standing with the local community against and ultimately forcing Labor's hand in what was little more than an attempt to hand over public land for private profit.
As stated by the Victorian Greens MLC for Southern Metropolitan, Katherine Copsey:
"This was nothing more than a public land and access grab by the Labor Government. Albert Park is a public space and it should be for the local community, not a corporate paddock."
"We've already seen Labor hand over billions of taxpayer dollars to Liberty Media, the private overseas company that owns Formula 1. Albert Park belongs to the people and should be first and foremost for the enjoyment of our local community, not multinational corporations."
