Mallard scalps helpless students

Apparently Trevor Mallard understands why secondary markets add value:

Mr Mallard [said] that the sale was neither scalping nor dodgy. He bought the tickets last year but now had another engagement.

It’s a shame that he didn’t apply similar logic when he was a Minister:

In November 2006, Mr Mallard initiated legislation …to protect event sponsors from people making money out of major events with which they had no formal association.

He said at the time: “When there is bulk-buying of tickets to such events simply for the purpose of profiteering, scalping is a ripoff that could deny many people the opportunity to see an event.”

So Mallard is almost hoist with his own petard, but the sad thing is that that there’s any law against it. And maybe that the students decided to go to the Dom Post even though they wouldn’t have got the tickets they wanted were it not for Mallard selling them. For some righteous outrage over the demonising of scalpers see goonix, Eric, Trent Reznor, and more Eric.