VICTORIAN PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS JULY 18 2023. SOURCE: AAP/JAMES ROSS. And Bendigo's Aaron ‘disco’ Wilson. Source: Commonwealth Games Australia.
The Victorian government’s decision to pull out from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games has shocked and disappointed small business representatives, even after regional entrepreneurs expressed concerns over a lack of planning detail and the likelihood of cost blowouts.
On Tuesday morning, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed long-established plans to host the Commonwealth Games across Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland, and Shepparton, will not go ahead.
The forecasted cost of the event had expanded to $6 billion, and could stretch as far as $7 billion, Andrews said, up from initial estimates of some $2.6 billion.
The revised cost meant hosting the Commonwealth Games would be financially untenable given the state’s other budget priorities, he said.
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