Australian appeals court upholds compensation over cancelled Robbie Williams concert
An appeals court in Australia has upheld a decision to pay music promoter World Touring Melbourne $2.84 million in compensation over the cancellation of Robbie Williams' concert during the 2020 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. According to ABC News Australia, a panel of three judges unanimously dismissed the appeal by the Australian Grand Prix Corporation.
The court upheld a 2024 ruling by the Supreme Court of Victoria. World Touring Melbourne had successfully sued the Grand Prix organizers for breach of contract and received compensation for lost earnings.
Grand Prix cancellation
The Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park was cancelled on March 13, 2020, just hours before the gates were due to open to spectators, amid the COVID-19 threat. Robbie Williams was scheduled to perform the following day at Lakeside Stadium as part of the race weekend programme, but the concert was also cancelled.
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At the time the Grand Prix was cancelled, some fans were already queuing at the entrance gates. Separate events were held in Melbourne and elsewhere that same weekend, including National Rugby League matches and a concert at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Court findings
In 2024, Justice Clyde Croft found that the organizers had misled the promoter by claiming that Victoria's then chief health officer, Brett Sutton, had allegedly ordered that the concert not be held in its planned format. The judge noted that no such order had been issued.
At 4:25 p.m. on March 13, the organizers emailed World Touring Melbourne, stating that Sutton had advised cancelling the Grand Prix or holding it without spectators. Earlier that day, however, Sutton wrote to Grand Prix officials that he supported cancelling Williams' concert, but that the organizers themselves had to make the final decision.
