BIG EVENTS CHIEF QUITS
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday February 20, 2010
THE founding chairman of Events NSW, John O'Neill, has quit after little obvious progress in heading off the continued challenge from interstate to host big events.His resignation, which had been expected since before Christmas, follows limited financial support from the state government to stop the drift.Mr O'Neill, who is also the chairman of the Australian Rugby Union, is believed to have been frustrated by his lack of financial flexibility in luring events, along with the lack of funds needed to upgrade infrastructure, in part due to budget pressures after the failure to sell the power industry.A lack of adequate facilities has meant that all big musicals, including Miss Saigon, Spamalot, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Fame, Mary Poppins and Hairspray, have been launched in Melbourne. The sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Phantom: Love Never Dies, is to open early next month in London, and it, too, is expected to be targeted by Melbourne for its first run in Australia.Despite the criticism, Events NSW succeeded in winning a number of lower-cost events, such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the V8 car races. Yesterday the state government highlighted wins such as the the opening round of the International Triathlon World Series, the FIFA International FanFest for this year's football World Cup and an Australian leg of the World Rally Championship."The time is now right ... where I can step aside with confidence that Events NSW is performing strongly and in good hands," Mr O'Neill said.
© 2010 Sydney Morning Herald