News this week has reported that the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is withdrawing its funding from the LIV golf tour. This could be good news for Adelaide, depending on Premier Malinauskas’s response. Reliable estimates indicate that the Saudi PIF fund kicked in about $6b to the LIV tour. It is difficult to see that the LIV carnival can continue without PIF’s massive financial contribution. Backers with the financial reserves of the Saudis are unlikely to step and rescue the sinking LIV experiment. Despite the hype, LIV was not the success the publicity proclaimed. LIV suffered huge financial losses in America, the UK and Europe. While some LIV tournaments in Europe attracted reasonable galleries, most were poorly attended. Television viewers in the US and throughout Europe largely ignored LIV and ratings remained poor.
Reports suggest that the only LIV success story was its Adelaide tournament. The opportunity to see top class male golfers in the southern hemisphere is rare and LIV offered golf patrons the chance to see them in action, albeit with as much emphasis on partying as on golf. However, was the success of the Adelaide event, in part at least, also attributable to the significant financial largesse of the South Australian government? Ethical Events asked for details of the financial support provided by the government to support the annual LIV tournament. Transparency was sadly lacking, though; no information on government spending was made available, despite repeated requests. Reports are that sizeable amounts of taxpayers’ money were involved. Marketing was certainly laid on thickly, courtesy of the SA government —TV ads; billboards; banners fluttering in city-streets; and in-store promotions. Contrast the flurry of words and images promoting LIV with the more understated promotion of the Australian Women’s Open Golf tournament held in Adelaide in March of this year, which attracted good galleries over four days and was televised by free-to-air TV. Yet, many Adelaide residents were left in the dark about this prestigious event.
The passing of legislation to excise a large part of the North Adelaide Parklands from the Adelaide City Council was an extraordinary development; done very quickly, and without consultation. News that the proposed new golf course would destroy hundreds of centuries-old trees in the Parklands has received state-wide and sustained opposition. Ethical Events see this proposal as unethical — why, we asked, would the South Australian government so whole-heartedly throw itself into decimating Adelaide’s treasured parklands to support the LIV tournament?
When rumours of LIV’s impending demise began to circulate, we assumed the government would give up its unpopular plans for the parklands, and the publicly owned North Adelaide golf course, and let LIV die a somewhat dignified death. Not so, apparently. Premier Malinauskas is unclear about the future of the Government’s plans for an expensive redesign of the North Adelaide golf course, the proposal to fell hundreds of mature trees and for its control of a sizable slice of the parklands. It’s not as easy as switching an off or on button, according to the Premier. We think some easy solutions are in the government’s grasp: don’t chop down trees; don’t spend an exorbitant amount of taxpayers’ money to give an already good golf course an extravagant facelift; and restore the parklands to Council control.
If you wish to ask question or voice your preference for what should happen to the Parklands, given LIV’s likely impending demise, contact the Premier: premier@sa.gov.au