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The Australian auto industry is appealing to the Victoria state government for help staging future auto shows.

The Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce is owner of the Australian International Motor Show held alternately in Melbourne and Sydney in a joint venture with the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

In a letter to state Treasurer Michael O’Brien, the chamber is calling for an extension and upgrade of the Melbourne Exhibition Center “so that this vital Melbourne facility remains competitive” with proposed plans for the New South Wales Exhibition Center in Sydney and similar venues elsewhere in Asia.

VACC Executive Director David Purchase says this year’s auto show may have been canceled, but work on a new business model for future exhibitions is under way.

“We are making every effort to ensure Australia and Melbourne continue to have a motor show, but we’ll need Victorian government assistance to do so,” Purchase says in a statement.

“A good first step would be to extend and upgrade the MEC so we have a world-class venue to attract world-class exhibitors to a world-class show.”