Melbourne Grand Prix to end: council
The Melbourne council which hosts the Australian Formula One Grand Prix has had enough of the race and is asking the Victorian government to scrap the event.
The City of Port Phillip is calling on the government not to renew the contract to stage the Grand Prix in Melbourne when it expires in 2010.
"After 14 years, residents have had more than enough," mayor Janet Cribbes said in a statement.
"Why should they have to suffer the noise and the inconvenience of a car race in a park for a race whose public price tag blew out to $41.3 million last year?"
The cost of staging the event - including the secret licence fee paid to Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone - has risen steadily each year but leapt by more than $8 million from $33 million in 2006.
Despite the losses, the Government claims a clear economic benefit from the influx of visitors for the race, as well as widespread publicity for Melbourne due to international television exposure.
Mr Ecclestone is pressuring organisers to hold the race at night to satisfy European television but the Victorian Government is lebron shoes adamant it will not give in to demands for a night grand prix.
"It's simply not fair that this event is exempt from the normal legislative protections empowering Victoria Police and the Environmental Protection Authority to take action on noise and other infringements on residential amenity," Cr Cribbes said.
The council believes the race "does not benefit Victoria as a whole" or the rest of the country and that it is time for the race to move on.
"It simply doesn't stack up on kobe shoes economic, social or environmental grounds."
Time for a go slow