Funds for 2026 Commonwealth Games to be redirected

THE Victorian State Government, led by Premier Daniel Andrews, has announced the Commonwealth Games which were scheduled to be held in Victoria, in 2026, will be cancelled.

Initially estimated to cost $2.6B, the projected cost had escalated to at least $6B- $7B. Premier Andrews expressed his unwillingness to allocate such a substantial amount of money to a 12-day sporting event.

He has announced plans to instead redirect the funds towards housing and sporting infrastructure in the state. The cancellation decision was made after discussions with the Games authorities in London, during which the cost issues were conveyed.

Although cancelled, Premier Andrews assured that the promised sporting facilities would still be built for regional communities.

The Victorian government intended for the Federal Government to contribute half of the costs, with the majority allocated to infrastructure.

However, Premier Andrews stated that he would not compromise essential services, such as healthcare, by diverting funds to the Games.

“I've made a lot of difficult decisions in this job - this is not one of them,” and he went on to describe the Commonwealth Games as “all cost, no benefit.”

“We are not going to spend $6B to $7B hosting a 12-day sporting event."

Regional industry and businesses were invited by Greater Shepparton City Council and the Industry Capability Network (ICN) Victoria to attend an information session focused on the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games scheduled for July 26 at the Woolshed in Kialla which at this stage may or may not go ahead.