Labor says the $217m Burswood racetrack will drive an ‘economic boost'. So, will it?

The Age

28-07-2025

A community group lobbying for an end to plans for a $217 million racetrack and amphitheatre on the Burswood peninsula has hit back at claims the development would be a boon to the local economy, pointing to similar developments in other states they say proved the opposite.
Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods was among the latest to jump on board with the plans, following the thumbs-up from Crown Perth chair John Van Der Wielen.
In an opinion piece in The West Australian, Woods claimed the proposed track would bring with it 'significant benefits' to the economy, and critics had 'resorted to caricatures and stereotypes to undermine the initiative'.
But Save Burswood Park Alliance co-chair Robin Harvey said while 'the roar of V8 Supercars may thrill motorsport fans', the aftermath was 'far from exhilarating'.
'The legacy of these events is not one of prosperity but of disruption, disillusionment, and economic disappointment,' she said.
'As the Cook government moves to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to host a V8 Supercars event in Burswood Park, we must learn from the hard lessons of other cities.'
Harvey said the events shifted economic activity, rather than created it, giving the example of a 2017 Supercars event in Newcastle, NSW, which was hailed as a success with a $36 million boost to the local economy.
However, a separate independent review found the real figure was less than half that amount.
She also said there had been a proposal to bring Supercars back to Canberra in 2023, after the original Canberra 400 racetrack was abandoned after two years in the early 2000s.