A Ben Cousins speaking event at the George Hotel in Ballarat has been cancelled just hours before it was due to begin, following backlash from domestic violence victims and others affected by his previous convictions.
The former West Coast footballer had been due to appear at the pub on Wednesday evening, with promotional material promising that he would “open up like never before”.
The venue’s management said it had listened to the anger and disappointment surrounding the decision to host him as a guest speaker.
“We recognise that decisions about who is given a public platform carry particular significance for women, victim-survivors and others affected by domestic violence,” the George Hotel said in a statement.
“We understand why members of our community have questioned what this event represents and whether their experiences and concerns were adequately considered.
“They were not considered carefully enough, and we are sorry.”
The statement, published on Wednesday morning, said the hotel accepted responsibility for scheduling the event and would review how future events were planned.
A later update clarified that the venue had not made any revenue from the appearance, which was organised by an external promoter. Ticket holders were advised to contact the presenter about refunds and other arrangements.
Cousins played 238 matches for West Coast between 1996 and 2007, before joining Richmond in 2009.
He received a 12-month suspended prison sentence in 2017 after being convicted of stalking his partner and breaching a family violence intervention order. In 2020, he was jailed for seven months for stalking and has appeared in court several times over drug use and possession.
Publicity for the cancelled event said Cousins would discuss his time behind bars and his “unfolding journey to redemption”. He remains advertised to appear at the Sporting Globe venue in Geelong on Thursday evening.
