As Brisbane 2032 debate rolls on, Victoria coughs up $589m to do nothing
Victoria’s abandoned Commonwealth Games cost the state more than $589 million and the price estimate that tanked the event was overstated and not transparent, according to a new report.
The stateās Auditor Generalās Office says agencies failed to work together to give āfrank, full and timely adviceā to the government.
āThe total cost of the Games to Victorians is over $589 million,ā the report said.
āThis waste would have been avoided if agencies had worked together better to give frank and full advice to the government before it decided to host the Games.ā
In 2022 the Victorian government agreed to host the Games in regional Victoria at an expected cost of roughly $2.6 billion but pulled out in July 2023, saying the figure had blown out to $6.9 billion.
You might like
The report said while the initial budget was unrealistically low, the updated figure was overblown.
āThe cost estimate for the Games that the government publicly released in August 2023 of $6.9 billion was overstated and not transparent,ā the report said.
The auditor generalās office said the figure added significant amounts for industrial relations and cost escalation risks, and failed to disclose the original budget already included $1 billion to cover these and other risks.
The report found the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regionsā business case for the Games was inadequate for the state government to make an informed decision on costs.
Ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
