When worries about the escalating costs of the postponed Commonwealth Games were first voiced, the Victorian government stayed silent.
At a press conference today, Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan sidestepped numerous inquiries on the specifics of the timeline.
It happens only days after Premier Daniel Andrews stated that $380 million in expenditures for the postponed games would be covered by taxpayers.
The expense to taxpayers was incurred when the administration decided not to host the games and struck a settlement with the relevant government agencies.
Allan reiterated today that the day before the official announcement, the administration realized it would have to cancel the games.
She told reporters today, “At budget time, we said very clearly, there was $2.6 billion set aside.”
“After the budgetary time, we received accurate information about those tender processes. Prior to receiving real statistics, (we were) relying on estimates that had previously been supported.
A large amount of labor was being done, and there were numerous moving components involved with such an event.
The 2026 games were supposed to take place in Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, and Shepparton from March 17 to March 29.
The official start of the work was in September of last year, and the pre-tendering process started in March of this year.
A unexpected press conference held on July 18 announced the games’ official cancellation.
The state opposition is currently pressuring the government to provide updated figures for each significant project that is currently under process.
Victorians will undoubtedly inquire about the status of other significant projects, according to opposition leader John Pesutto.
“It’s critical to find the truth about this issue.
“The damage could have at least been reduced if the government knew many months ago that the games couldn’t be funded.”
