Equine flu contagion fear takes hold in Cup capital Melbourne
A report in The Sydney Morning Herald says that the Victorian racing industry is watching the unfolding equine flu crisis in New South Wales with anxiety, aware that as the host of premier events on the nation’s spring calendar it has by far the most to lose.
The economic fallout from cancellations or delays to Victorian race meetings would be vast, affecting tourism, retail, fashion, hospitality and gambling.
Business has warned that even a delay could have a devastating impact if events are pushed into the already busy Christmas period, competing with work parties and the cricket season.
A study commissioned by Racing Victoria found that last year’s spring racing carnival boosted spending by $628.8 million, with the study, by the events organiser IER, finding the carnival generated 3676 jobs and boosted the state economy by $262 million.
Victoria’s Minister for Tourism, Tim Holding, said it was too early to make judgments about how the NSW outbreak would affect the spring carnival, adding, “We haven’t had any outbreaks here in Victoria, but we do need to continue to monitor the situation closely”.
Peter Brain, the executive director of the National Institute of Economics and Industry Research, which does much of the Victorian Government’s economic modelling for big events, said a watered down or delayed carnival could destroy up to one-fifth of the economic benefits, adding, “You wouldn’t get so many overseas people coming and so many overseas horses and teams coming, so you could probably say it might lose up to 20 per cent of its net value”.
“If some of the glamour goes out of the event, the effect on some sectors like the fashion industry could be quite severe.”
Last year carnival racegoers bought 330,290 fashion items valued at $25.7 million, including 57,722 hats and 44,316 pairs of shoes and the Victorian Government says big events are crucial to the state’s economy, attracting hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of international visitors.
Chris James, a spokesman for the Victorian Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a broad range of businesses could be affected, including restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, milliners, dressmakers, hairdressers, beauty shops, catering and transport companies. “The carnival is at particular point in the events calendar which sits between the football and cricket season,” he said.
“Moving it back would push it into an already busy Christmas period.” “A cancellation would be disastrous and a postponement would cause difficulties.”
The national affairs director of the Australian Hotels Association, Bill Healey, said, “Scrapping the carnival would be disastrous for pubs and hotels across the nation,” adding, “Melbourne Cup week drives a whole carnival around the country, and we would only hope that if there is to be some sort of change to the timetable that the full implications right across the economy are considered”.
Report by the Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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