The AFL Grand Final isn’t just about the sport — it’s also a place for the great and the good of the nation to rub shoulders. There was of course the striking moment when the cameras cut to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan flanked on either side by Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Kerry Stokes, a man whose dominates Western Australia’s media landscape in a way that greatly exceeds the Murdoch share Australia-wide.
But one notable absentee was the guy who decided everyone in the state should get a day off the day before the Grand Final (which manages the impressive feat of being both one of the world’s dumbest public holidays and somehow only the second dumbest observed exclusively in Victoria).
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was not among the politicians attending, unlike out-of-towners like acting Queensland Premier Steven Miles, Tasmania’s Jeremy Rockliff and South Australia’s frighteningly ripped Premier Peter Malinauskas.
Was Andrews prepping for November’s Victorian election (which we assume just involves approving the design of billboards that consist of Matthew Guy’s blocked list on Twitter and a campaign to get Michael O’Brien reinstated as opposition leader)? We understand Andrews watched the game at home and sent some local constituents in his place.
It put one tipster in mind of the time then NSW premier Neville Wran reportedly turned up to the Sydney Cricket Ground in the late ’70s and one of the notorious “green coats” who used to man everything at the SCG (apparently a classic case of a uniform giving the wearer a disproportionate sense of power) refused to let Wran’s car into the member’s area. Wran ended up in the public stands, and was greeted with the yell “Don’t piss on the premier” when using the facilities. The SCG Trust was apparently mortified and had Wran back the next year to do an honorary kick-off. It appears Andrews suffered no such indignity this year.
“There was of course the striking moment when the cameras cut to AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan flanked on either side by Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch and Kerry Stokes”
Reason enough me thinks 🙂
Such a pity someone couldn’t have found a free ticket for Bernard Keane, so he could have photo bombed this charming illustration of power in Australia …
Wow, he opts for an arvo off and gives his tickets to some constituents? Could be a sinister plot. Or another example of his sanity.
Maybe he had a good reason for giving it a miss – that he didn’t want the media in on – and would have cut short such media speculation…
Perhaps Andrews has decided to be selective about the company he keeps.
A public holiday on the day before the grand final is a bloody good idea!
Why before – surely afterwards as a ‘recovery’ day would be more suitable?
QLD has a public holiday the day after the NRL GF – much more sensible. LOL
The original idea was to allow more people to come into the CBD to watch the parade – and spend money at inner city retailers. This year was an actual AFL SNAFU with the boat parade undermining the original purpose. Proving that the public holiday is not respected by the AFL and probably should now be cancelled. Governments need to understand how much small business contributes of public holidays, either by lost income or increase costs. As public holidays go this one is somewhat frivolous.
And if he’d turned up, you’d be questioning why he was wasting time at the footy when there were so many problems confronting the Victorian government that he had should be attending to instead. Damned if he did, damned if he didn’t – and so Crikey’s Dan-bashing continues.
It is drearily monomaniacal – as if he stole Creaky’s play-lunch in kindi or some other slight which no sensible person would even notice.
There is plenty to “bash” (not my term) about Dan, but this is not one of them.