Premier attacks council cap of six event days on Village Green

InDaily reports the Premier raised the dispute at a media conference. Malinauskas said the council had protested against several projects, including Adelaide Oval, a footbridge, the O-bahn Tunnel, the V8s and MotoGP.

The numbers

Under the council’s rules, as InDaily describes them, events could be held on the green on a maximum of six calendar days a year, and no event could run for more than three consecutive days. The council kept the existing attendance limit of 15,000 people, which could be reviewed case by case subject to a risk assessment.

The state government wants six events a year, each running up to three days, which adds up to 18 days.

Malinauskas said that over the past decade the council’s approach had allowed just two significant events on the green: a sold-out Midnight Oil show in 2017 and Icehouse in 2022.

What’s next

The Premier said the state government would consider its options with the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority to overturn the decision. InDaily reports no timetable and does not say what form an overturn would take.

Councillor Phillip Martin responded that the council followed the government’s legislation, consulted, and agreed to every measure the government put forward through the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority. He said the council is pro-event and asked the Premier to reach out to build a better relationship.

InDaily also notes an earlier case in which the Premier overruled the council’s use of two AI-detection cars issuing parking tickets in the CBD. It lists other recent council disputes, including Park Lands works at the North Adelaide Golf Course and a MotoGP street circuit.