Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (13:40): Today I want to mark the passing and celebrate the impact of Peter Goad, a really respected figure in our local community and a tireless defender of Albert Park. Peter devoted decades to protecting public green space and community sport from being sidelined year after year by a private corporate event. Peter’s work with Save Albert Park helped expose the real impacts of the grand prix on clubs, on open space and on everyday access to a park that Victorians love. He was a champion for the transparency measures needed around this event. I knew Peter for many years, and I so admired his work and his tenacity. Even as he celebrated his centenary, Peter remained the group’s longest serving president, committed to their goals of ending the grand prix at Albert Park, reclaiming the park as public open space and parkland for community sport and everyday use and safeguarding the park from inappropriate development and ongoing impacts. I want to extend my sincerest condolences to Peter’s family and friends and to the Save Albert Park community. I hope that we can all honour his dedicated commitment by continuing the work, telling the truth about the actual impacts of this event, standing with local clubs and residents and putting public space and public good first. Peter always stood up for what was right. Vale, Peter.