Commenting on the story: Saudi-backed breakaway golf tour event for Adelaide

I am unaware of the “race” to secure rounds of the LIV Golf tournament in Australia. Even the Victorian Labor Government, that self-described centre of Australian sport, declined to enter the “race”.

Yet Premier Malinauskas proudly announces he has secured one of the LIV Golf tournaments for SA by using a contribution from the state’s major events fund.

With this action he is tacitly endorsing Saudi Arabia’s use of its extraordinary sovereign wealth fund containing billion of dollars, some of which it is using in sponsoring the LIV Golf tournament. This is transparently an attempt to improve its barbaric and oppressive image around the world with the practice known as  “sportswashing”.

The Saudi Government’s appalling human rights record includes the use of state sponsored political assassinations, both at home and abroad, the torture and regular mass executions of citizens “convicted” of charges such as “disrupting the social fabric and national cohesion”, and “participating in, and inciting sit-ins and protests”.

Amnesty International, if not Premier Malinauskas, considers these to be actions protected by the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and association.

What an opportunity foregone, Premier. With Saudi Arabia remaining the world’s largest producer and exporter of oil, you could have aligned your government’s environmentally unsustainable V8 Supercar event with Saudi Arabia as well.

You are quite right, Premier, when you say “LIV Golf will bring some of the world’s best golf players to SA for an event the likes of which our country has never seen before.” I emphasise “some of the world’s best golf players.”

With those words, Premier Malinauskas, I consider you have exposed South Australians to the condemnation of the civilized people of the world. – Philip Groves

Principles are only skin deep when it comes to leaders who are all ‘show’.

Make no mistake, SA public money will go straight to the Saudi regime. A regime that has an appalling human rights record. The authoritarian regime ruling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is consistently ranked among the “worst of the worst” in Freedom House’s annual survey of political and civil rights.

Thank you Mali for using our hard earned money to lend support to this regime. – Paul McKinnon

Whilst I am understanding of the economic opportunities this golf tournament is hopeful of delivering to our state, I remain disappointed that we should allow such an event that is backed by the Saudi government and their appalling human rights record. – Ros Francis

This scandal must be investigated. Especially if the SA Government is contributing even a dollar to help stage it. Does Malinauskas not know that the Saudi Govt is funding this whole thing with billions of dollars? I am sickened and disgusted. – Michael Galvin

Commenting on the story: ‘It’s not about money’: Costs hidden for SA’s nine-game AFL festival

Re announcement of SA hosting the so-called magic round, did our Premier actually use the term “sloppy seconds”? I had to read it twice, couldn’t believe it. – Paul Newbold

I’m very disappointed in the language of the Premier in this article, i.e. ” … seconds”.  Does he know the meaning and context of the phrase? Does InDaily?

It’s a disgusting phrase, at best inherently sexist, at worst misogynistic. I think all involved in the article should reflect on choice of words. – Ken Funt