Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Commonwealth Games

Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (15:17): Like most of regional Victoria, I was shocked to hear the Premier announce the Commonwealth Games had been cancelled. Just 15 months ago the government wanted to be the only one bidding and talked it up as a games like no other that would leave a lasting legacy for regional Victoria. But after winning the state election and a third term in government, very little was done to progress the games. There was no detail in the state budget papers, and less than a thousand days out councils were still in the dark about project funding. The projected cost of $2.6 billion blew out to nearly $7 billion because Labor cannot manage projects or money.

Our region has suffered through bushfires, COVID and last year’s floods. The games brought a sense of excitement. Families were talking about it, businesses were expanding, emergency services were in planning and our athletes were in training. But instead of an economic boost, cancelling the games has left a big bill, costing millions in wages, office fit-outs, lost tenders and a broken contract with the Commonwealth Games Federation. I ask this government to stop playing their own games and allocate the full $2.6 billion that was intended to benefit regional Victoria and get started on delivering projects that regional communities need within the same time frame as the games, by 2026.