The state government has remained tight-lipped on when concerns were first raised regarding the rising costs of the cancelled Commonwealth Games.
Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan dodged dozens of questions at a press conference today on the specifics of the timeline.
The cost to taxpayers came after the government reached a settlement with the official bodies involved after deciding to withdraw from hosting the games.
Allan today insisted the government became aware they would need to scrap the games, the day before the official announcement.
”At budget time we said very clearly, there was $2.6 billion dollars set aside,” she told reporters today.
“What happened after the budget period was those tender processes, (we were) provided with actual information. (We previously were) going from estimates which had been previously based on, (we were) getting actual figures provided.
“There is a huge amount of work that was going on and many different moving parts around an event of this type.”
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The games were slated to be held from March 17-29 in 2026, across Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, Gippsland and Shepparton.
Work had started formally in September last year, with pre-tender processes commencing in March this year.
The state opposition is now demanding the government release updated sums for every major project underway.
“Victorians will have every reason to ask what’s the case for other major projects,” Opposition Leader John Pesutto said.
“This is an important matter to get to the bottom of.
“If the government knew many months ago that the games couldn’t be funded, the damage could have at least been mitigated.”
