Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MELBOURNE, Australia — An inquiry into an Australian state's decision to cancel its planned hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games says it cost Victorians 589 million Australian dollars ($385 million) and the price estimate that resulted in it being shelved was "overstated and not transparent." In 2022 the Labor state government led by then-Premier Daniel Andrews agreed to host the 2026 Games in regional cities in Victoria at an expected cost of about A$2.6 billion ($1.7 billion). But it pulled out in July 2023 after saying the figure had blown out to A$6.9 billion ($4.5 billion). Commonwealth Games Australia CEO Craig Phillips says the report "confirms the gross exaggeration of costs" detailed by Andrews.
