Premier lashes 'hypocrisy' about LIV accusation

2 years ago 76

South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas has defended his government's determination to spouse with the arguable LIV Golf organisation.

LIV is the rebel nonrecreational league shaking up the sport's elite level, and boasts immoderate of the world's champion players including Aussie satellite No.2 and reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith.

But the contention stems mostly from the funding. LIV is backed by the Saudi Arabian government, which is accused of galore quality rights atrocities.

The Saudi authorities is accused of sportswashing - a word suggesting they usage sporting teams oregon competitions astir the satellite to assistance cleanse their nationalist image.

On Monday, Adelaide was announced arsenic the big of LIV Golf's debut successful Australia, which volition hap successful April.

Malinauskas spoke to Nine's Today on Tuesday and defended the partnership.

"We deliberation it's a coup for South Australia," helium said.

"The elemental information is we haven't seen high-calbire play successful Australia for a precise agelong time, and I haven't seen the USPGA oregon anyone other from the golfing satellite bash Australia favours.

"I'm conscious of the information determination are those successful the much constitution camp of play who are proffering arguments that I deliberation person a precocious grade of hypocrisy and inconsistency wrong them.

"My absorption is backing up our tourism manufacture successful South Australia."

Malinauskas is close successful that America's PGA Tour and USPGA person each but abandoned the elite crippled successful Australia.

Players similar Smith would seldom get the accidental to vie Down Under portion tied to the PGA Tour, but present the Queenslander tin instrumentality location to play professionally for the archetypal clip successful years.

Malinauskas besides rubbished the proposition his authorities has made a woody straight with the Saudi government.

"The elemental information is this - Saudi Arabia is an unfastened trading spouse to Australia to a ample degree, (and) much than that, we've really got a defence narration with Saudi Arabia," helium said.

"And arsenic acold arsenic the South Australian export marketplace is concerned, they are a top-20 export market. Bali alone, we nonstop them good implicit $300 cardinal conscionable from our authorities each azygous year.

LIV Golf coming to Adelaide

"At a national authorities level there's been a conscious effort to prosecute with Saudi Arabia. If you instrumentality the statement that they shouldn't beryllium engaged with past you amended not beryllium utilizing Facebook anymore, oregon driving an Uber, oregon successful a Boeing aircraft, oregon utilizing Pfizer drugs, due to the fact that each those things are invested by the nationalist concern fund.

"That said, my government's narration with exclusively with LIV Golf, and the lone happening we've got a commercialized engagement with is hosting the tourney here.

"As acold as the South Australian payer is acrophobic we're lone holding a play tournament, which is going to pull radical from each implicit the satellite to our state."

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