Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Commonwealth Games

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:49): (203) My question is again to the Minister for Regional Development. Minister, last week Victorian negotiators left London without reaching a deal on Victoria’s Commonwealth Games cancellation fee, with a report suggesting the bill could be over $1 billion. Is this the legacy that regional Victorians will have to pay for the minister’s mismanagement?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (13:50): Thank you, Ms Crozier, for that question. You may seek to run a commentary on negotiations; I certainly do not intend to.

Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:50): Again the minister is trying to fudge and spin and did not answer my question, so I will try again. Will you, Minister, apologise for the $1 billion the government has forced Victorians to pay?

Harriet SHING (Eastern Victoria – Minister for Water, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Equality) (13:50): Thank you, Ms Crozier. Your supplementary, as was your substantive, is riven with hypotheticals and suppositions.

Georgie Crozier: What is it then? How do you know?

Harriet SHING: Well, how do you know, Ms Crozier? As I have said repeatedly, neither the Premier nor the Deputy Premier nor I intend to traverse any of the details that are the subject of negotiations. Those negotiations need to be able to continue without commentary and without interference, as attractive as that may be as a proposition to you. I intend to make sure that those negotiations can continue without those amongst us who are not in fact in the room as they occur.