Aussie companies rush to help Clive Palmer after US ticket agency pulls out of anti-vax events

Two Australian ticket companies appear to have seized the opportunity to help Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party host a series of vaccine-sceptic conferences after a US ticket platform pulled out at the last minute. 

Palmer raged against Eventbrite last week for cancelling a Sunshine Coast UAP event featuring a US coronavirus vaccine sceptic.

“We do not live in Nth Korea — WE WILL  NOT BE CENSORED,” Palmer tweeted, along with a screen grab of what he said was an email to customers from Eventbrite. 

The email said tickets for the event had been voided because it “does not comply with our community guidelines”. 

On Sunday Palmer’s colleague Senator Ralph Babet told his Twitter followers he had “great news”: “The United Australia Party COVID-19 vaccine conference tickets are back on sale!”

According to the UAP’s website, tickets for a Gold Coast stop on the conference tour will be available through Ticketek. 

Aussie platform Ivvy will sell tickets for the Sunshine Coast event, as well as those in Melbourne and Sydney, according to the UAP.

Ivvy chief operating officer Lauren Hall said the company ran an online booking platform and that the views of the UAP and the people performing at the event were “solely those of the authors and do not reflect any position of Ivvy”.

“Ivvy, in providing access to its booking platform software, does not endorse the content of any user of its software,” she said.

Although Eventbrite didn’t immediately respond to questions from Crikey about what prompted the cancellation, its community guidelines have provisions against “misinformation” that list “scientifically or medically unsubstantiated health advice that may have detrimental effects on attendees’ health or public safety” as prohibited. 

Ticketek, Ivvy and the UAP were also contacted for comment.