Queensland<\/a> due to just the ruling; they don\u2019t want to be a part of it with the water barrier situation,\u201d he says.<\/p>\nDespite its good-natured violence, it has been many years since the sport has caused major controversy. The first-ever demolition derby was held in Australia in February 1964 at Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide, attracting the largest crowd ever seen at the track.<\/p>\n
More than 20,000 people stormed the gates, with many more patrons stranded outside.<\/p>\n
The chaotic event was abandoned after only 37 minutes as children swarmed across the track in excitement.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Video by Australian Demolition Derby Association<\/p>\n
Williams agrees the incident in Walcha should never have happened, but emphasises it was the first occurence of its kind in five decades.<\/p>\n
The new regulations stipulate the use of water-filled barriers made of high density polyethylene plastic containers, which when filled create an energy-absorbing heavy fence able to withstand crashes from vehicles travelling up to 70km\/h.<\/p>\n
Williams says the barriers had cost a derby in Maitland up to $15,000 \u2013 an additional expense that had led to the cancellation of at least seven events in NSW and Queensland this season, which ends this month.<\/p>\n
One of the cancelled derbies was to take place at the Cessnock show. The president of the Cessnock and District Agricultural Association, Shiralee Adams, says the impact of cancelling the derby is affecting show ticket sales.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Video by ABC<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only had about a quarter of the public come through our gate,\u201d she says, describing the derby as a \u201chuge drawcard\u201d to rural shows.<\/p>\n
She says it took from 11 at night to 5.30 in the morning to install and fill the water barriers in the Maitland arena alone. \u201cWe can\u2019t justify $13,000 to hire those for the Cessnock show,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She also raises concerns about SafeWorks\u2019 proposed plan for a singular entry point into the arena, given the passage could be blocked by a broken-down car or hinder emergency access.<\/p>\n
Demolition derby cars in Gloucester, NSW. Photograph: Australian Demolition Derby Association<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if we have an incident happen over the far side of the track \u2026 how do we get emergency personnel in to either put a fire out or to treat an injured driver?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey said, \u2018Oh, you\u2019ve got to move the barriers \u2026 You need about a 10-tonne forklift.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re an ag show. We have a 70-horsepower tractor with a set of forks. We can\u2019t physically move them \u2026 Your rules to keep our public safe \u2026 are putting our drivers in jeopardy,\u201d Adams said.<\/p>\n
Adams is determined to revive the demolition derby next year and has already started talks with SafeWork about how to make it achievable.<\/p>\n
Williams says the ADDA has tried to work with SafeWork since the Walcha incident, but has been unable to come to an agreement about barrier regulations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve tried to communicate with them to come up with a safe plan, a better or more affordable plan, but they don\u2019t want to hear it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
As a minimum safety requirement, the association laid telegraph poles placed on their side as barriers and offered to stack half-tonne hay bales and tractor tyres along the trackside.<\/p>\n
Williams says SafeWork verbally agreed to the measures but was unwilling to put anything in writing.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for SafeWork says: \u201cDemolition Derby event holders are required to conduct risk assessments and implement adequate control measures when planning these events, taking into account the nature of the planned activity and the venue design.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018As much as we love destroying each other on the field, before and after it we\u2019re just a big family,\u2019 the Australian Demolition Derby Association president says. Photograph: Australian Demolition Derby Association<\/p>\n
Williams says every event is fully insured and the ADDA\u2019s insurers accept their plan and set-up.<\/p>\n
The ADDA is made up of about 30 members, who describe it as a tight-knit family, with the children and friends of drivers regularly attending the events.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs much as we love destroying each other on the field, before and after it we\u2019re just a big family. Everyone helps everyone,\u201d Williams says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Video by the Australian Demolition Derby Association<\/p>\n
He worries the industry will disappear if the sport is unable to come to an agreement with SafeWork soon. Derbies are not run for profit, most prize pools barely cover the cost of the cars \u2013 and safety modifications are made out-of-pocket.<\/p>\n
He says: \u201cThe attraction of the sport is that it is one-of-a-kind, an absolute oddball \u2026 that doesn\u2019t make sense to a lot of people, but they damn sure want to give it a go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tenille Fisher grew up watching her dad and older brother compete across regional Australia before becoming a driver herself. She now watches her husband and two younger brothers regularly compete \u2013 but is concerned for the future of the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re already seeing events cancelled, and with the costs and uncertainty around requirements, it\u2019s becoming harder for organisers and drivers to keep things running. Everyone is trying their best to accommodate the rules, but it\u2019s difficult when they change from event to event,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
She has competed in the women\u2019s derbies at Taree, Wingham and Dungog, and says she hopes her children will one day compete.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone supports improving safety, especially after what\u2019s happened, but the way SafeWork NSW is implementing the changes has been really difficult,\u201d she says, while also acknowledging how supportive the derby community is.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I love most is the atmosphere and the community; it really does feel like an extended family.\u201d<\/p>\n
AgShow NSW has declined to comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The demolition derby is an \u201coddball\u201d sport, its enthusiasts say. Beaten up cars crash into one another on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":600878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-600877","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-motor","11":"tag-motor-sports","12":"tag-motosport","13":"tag-motosports","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Aussie_demolition_derby_2___loop--4fc48546-59e4-4255-bc78-d73be2ff2a30-1.0.0000000.jpg\")
Australian demolition derby \u2013 a high-octane version of dodgem cars<\/p>\n