❓ A parliamentary question probes the Minister for Sport and Recreation regarding a new digital ticketing system rollout at Optus Stadium during an AFL State of Origin match, focusing on potential failures and government oversight. The Minister rejects the premise, stating the system operated as intended and delays were due to late arrivals and communication issues.

I refer to the recent AFL State of Origin match at Optus Stadium, and I ask:(a) Was the Minister or the Minister’s office briefed prior to the AFL State of Origin match regarding the rollout of a new digital ticketing system at Optus Stadium;(b) On what date did the Minister first become aware the ticketing system would change to an NFC-based system with dynamic barcodes;(c) Did the Minister approve, endorse or note the implementation of this system;(d) What risk assessments were provided to the Government before implementation;(e) Did VenuesLive or Optus Stadium provide any warnings of potential crowd-entry delays;(f) Was a contingency entry plan required under the stadium event approval;(g) Did the Government require an operational readiness report before the event;(h) Did the Minister seek assurance the system had been tested at full stadium capacity;(i) Was a trial conducted prior to an event of more than 50,000 patrons:(i) If so, provide details of that trial including date, attendance and outcomes;(j) What contractual arrangements exist between the State Government and VenuesLive regarding stadium operations;(k) What contractual arrangements exist between the State Government and Ticketmaster;(l) Does the Government financially benefit from ticket sales at Optus Stadium events;(m) Does the Government carry liability for entry failures;(n) Has the Government sought legal advice about potential liability arising from the incident;(o) Who, in the Minister’s view, is ultimately responsible for entry gate management at Optus Stadium;(p) Was a Government representative present in the control room during the match;(q) Did any Government official instruct turnstiles to be opened:(i) If not, who authorised turnstiles to be opened without scanning tickets;(r) Has the Government requested a formal incident report;(s) How many patrons attended the match;(t) How many entry gates were operational at opening time;(u) How many gates experienced scanning failure;(v) What was the average wait time recorded at entry points;(w) How many patrons entered without their tickets being scanned;(x) What time did the first scanning failures occur;(y) What time were turnstiles opened to allow entry without scanning;(z) How long after the start of the match did the queue clear;(aa) Were any safety or crowd-control risks identified;(bb) Were police or emergency services requested to assist with crowd management;(cc) Who approved the rollout of the new enhanced digital ticketing system;(dd) What due diligence was conducted on the NFC technology;(ee) Was the technology independently certified for crowd-control environments;(ff) Had this system been used at any other Australian stadium;(gg) What failure rate was recorded during testing;(hh) Did the system rely on mobile reception or internet connectivity;(ii) Were system outages recorded during the event;(jj) Did Apple Wallet or mobile devices contribute to the scanning issue;(kk) Were staff trained on troubleshooting the new system;(ll) When did training occur and who delivered it;(mm) How many complaints has the Government received regarding the incident;(nn) Were spectators wrongly accused of holding fraudulent tickets;(oo) Will affected patrons receive refunds or compensation;(pp) Has the Government requested Ticketmaster or VenuesLive to provide refunds;(qq) Will spectators who missed the first minutes of the game due to the ticketing issue be compensated;(rr) What consumer protections apply to event access failures at Government-owned venues;(ss) Will the Government commission an independent investigation into the incident;(tt) Will the new ticketing system be used during the upcoming AFL season;(uu) What corrective actions have been mandated before the next AFL match to ensure this doesn't happen again; and(vv) Will the Minister table the incident report and correspondence between the Government, VenuesLive and Ticketmaster in Parliament?

(a – vv)            I reject the premise of the question. There was no scanning failure, and the ticketing system was operating as intended, consistent with its use at recent high-attendance events, including BL finals and Ed Sheeran concerts, where no issues were reported. Delays were primarily due to concentrated late arrivals by patrons as well as issues with communications prior to the event and were mitigated through standard contingency measures such as hand scanners, with                                queues largely cleared within minutes of the match commencing. VenuesLive, as the stadium operator, is implementing enhanced communications, staffing and gate management measures to improve ingress for future events.