Twitter thread – Daniel Andrews, Premier of Victoria, 18 July 2023
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Bit of a long one this morning.
You might have heard the news this morning that Victoria will no longer be hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
And I wanted to tell you about the decision.
When the Commonwealth Games needed a host city to step in at the last minute, we were willing to help – but not at any price.
And not without a big lasting benefit for regional Victoria.
It’s now clear: more than $6 billion for a 12-day sporting event is just too high. It’s more than twice the estimated economic benefit the Games would bring our state.
The main reason we agreed to host the Games was to create a big lasting benefit for our regions – with more housing, boosts to tourism and sporting infrastructure upgrades.
So here’s what we’re doing instead.
We’ll build at least 1,300 new social and affordable housing homes in regional Victoria.
We’ll build all the permanent sporting facilities that we promised for 2026.
We’ll work with sports clubs at a grassroots level to get more local families playing sport, including removing barriers for Victorians with disabilities.
And there’ll be a massive boost in regional tourism and events – so they’ll have the very best new attractions, events and accommodation.
These projects will create around 3,000 jobs right around the state, and deliver what our regional communities have asked for.
It’s the right thing to do.
From the get-go, we said we’d create a long, lasting legacy throughout our regions.
And we’re getting on with it.
Janie Finlay MP, Labor member for Bass, 18 July 2023
Responsible government cancels sporting spend amid massive cost blowouts
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ decision to pull out of hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to massive cost blow-outs provides a refreshing juxtaposition to Premier Rockliff’s blind ambition to build a Hobart stadium at any cost because the AFL has told him to do so.
Mr Andrews made the call that the games were not the right priority for such a significant spend of state funds.
He has instead pledged a new $2 billion support package for regional Victoria, with a $1 billion Regional Housing Fund to deliver more than 1,300 new homes.
Meanwhile in Tasmania, Premier Rockliff is recklessly charging ahead in his quest to build his predecessor Peter Gutwein’s dream, despite not having any real costings or designs for the project.
The only person who believes the Hobart stadium will come in at its supposed $715 million budget is the Premier himself.
And no one else could know otherwise, because the initial cost estimate is over six months old, and astonishingly, Treasury hasn’t provided any advice on it.
What we do know though is that the state is $5.6 billion in debt, and we’re in the middle of a health, housing and cost of living crisis.
If only Mr Rockliff could open his eyes to the real priorities for Tasmania and finally realise that proceeding with a project without any real costings, designs or treasury advice is reckless.
