Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a folly from the very outset but Andrews has now made a bad decision much worse.
Cancelling the Games 18 months on after such a bad error of judgement is now an unmitigated disaster.It’s a disaster for Victoria’s reputation as the host of major events and the supposed sporting capital of the world.It’s a disaster for the regions which were set to benefit from tourism and infrastructure even though Andrews says much of the infrastructure will eventually go ahead.It’s another disaster for taxpayers.
massive damages bill which legal experts have said Brisbane would face if the Olympics were cancelledAndrews is well aware of that risk after being hit with costs after scrapping the Formula One F1 GP in 2020 and as the Premier who spent $1.1 billion not to build the East West Link road.It’s also a disaster for the future of the Commonwealth Games which now faces an existential crisis.
Perhaps most heartbreaking, it’s a disaster for hundreds of young Australian athletes aspiring to represent their country and use it as a stepping stone to the 2032 Olympics.Andrews says the costs have tripled from $2.6 billion committed in the 2022 budget to as much as $7 billion and it would be irresponsible to proceed.
But that was obvious from the very start. Melbourne spent $2.9 billion on the Commonwealth Games in 2006. Allowing an average of 5 per cent a year for inflation, it was obvious the event would have cost more than $6 billion. It’s also symptomatic of a government which makes big announcements by press release. The $1 billion announced for the SEC or $11 billion for the SRL are all going to cost much more than originally promised. But the political sugar hit comes with the announcement.Political insiders smelt a rat when there was no new money for the Games in the May state budget. It most likely became doomed when the
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