BKFC if I can change gears. BKFC Beatical Fighting Championships are advertising on their website, Minister that they will be in Perth on July the nineteenth, that's forty seven days away. Is it going ahead? Do you think?
Well? It's going The event has to be sanctioned by the Combat Sports Commission. So there's two stages of this. This was first whether the sport can be allowed in the state, and that was something that has been signed off by the previous Minister signed off, so the sport is allowed. And then there's the actual event. And so what the proponents have to do is put forward to the Combat Sports Commission what is involved, and then the
Commission either approves or doesn't approve it. As I understand this often happens with these types of activity, is that they start promoting while they're still trying to secure the approval from the Commission.
So I think Bob Coultures, the chair last time I spoke to you said you'd met with him and Anthony Grover and some other other people from the Commission. It's a nine person commission. Can you or the premier still exercise of veto and are you is it? I mean, given the look of the sport and what it actually involves, is it something that you're comfortable with having here.
Well, I think the Premier used these words and it's probably the words that I'll use. It's not my cup
of tea. But similar to the discussion and the debate around cage fighting, all the Octagon, MMA and UFC, the similar arguments were put forward and at that time we as a government allowed, of course the Octagon to come back to w or to come to WA and now we are very much big supporters of UFC and we have a welterweight champion and Jack So these same discussions we had or as Minister for Sport, I take advice from the experts, and the experts from a government perspective
is a Combat Sport Commission, who have a look at the sport, what's happening around the world, have a look at the types of regulations you need to make sure it's as safe as as possible, and that's what they've done, and so they've stipulated a number of key regulations about, for example, the experience of the fighters, some other regulations
about medical practitioners being on site and bring side. So I take advice from the Combat Sports Commission, and the advice is that they believe with the level of regulations they've imposed that it can be undertaken safely in wa and that's the advice that I'm sticking to.
Okay, So is any of the criteria where they assess an event to come to perth, is any of that community feedback or community opposition? And would you consider that is community opposition to an event the fact that you or mister Cook would take into a consideration.
Well, there's a lot of people that I don't like combat sports, I'd say that, and so these types of events aren't to everyone's liking. I understand that, you know so, But in relation to this, it's really about making sure that the sport can be regulated. And the other point, and I think it's the point that the premiers made and other ministers are made that if you don't regulate, then things go underground and it's much less safe for
the competitors. So this is something, as I said, you know, I've gone and looked at what's happened around the world. It does happen in other places around the world. But all I can do is take the advice of the of the board and the team that's been appointed to give me this advice, and as I said, this is the same I mean, I remember just a few years ago talking about UFC and some of the same accusations made against this event were made against UFC. So I
take the advice of the Combat Sports Commission seriously. They've gone in the created some additional regulations in relations for safety. As I said, it's now up to the promoter of the event to make sure they satisfy all the regulations and rules that the Combat Sports Commission have put in place, and that's the work that has to happen now.