Thursday, 26 May 2022

Ministers statements: Commonwealth Games

Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Minister for Trade, Minister for Business Precincts, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing) (14:37): The 2026 Commonwealth Games will take the state of Victoria to the world—maybe not to Perth, but to India, Canada, the UK, Africa and the South Pacific. It is estimated that it will contribute more than $3 billion to the Victorian economy and 7500 jobs in total, but it will also include significant investment in infrastructure in regional Victoria—housing, world-class facilities, four athletes villages—hosting up to 1750 competitors and officials in Ballarat, 1300 in Bendigo, almost 3000 in Geelong and almost 800 in Gippsland.

We are working really closely with LGAs on exact locations based on need and infrastructure, and those village developments will include spaces that can be converted into health support, education uses and commercial uses after 2026. But there will also be new and upgraded sporting infrastructure to make regional Victoria the ideal place, not just for communities but for events well into the future. Mars Stadium will have an additional capacity of 8500 seats. Latrobe city stadium will have grandstand, turf, lighting and player facility upgrades. A world-class swimming competition venue in the Barwon region and the finalisation of additional sports will mean even more sporting infrastructure in other parts of the state. The real beauty of that infrastructure is it is not just about the Commonwealth Games in 2026, it is about people in all of those regions—young and old, kids and adults, boys and girls—being able to enjoy that infrastructure for decades to come, assisting businesses to attract workers because there will be more housing and making sure those communities are healthier because there will be better sporting infrastructure for those communities to use for decades.