City conjures almost $8m in Games money

THE City of Greater Geelong has found money to contribute to delivery of the 2026 Commonwealth Games despite earlier insisting it could not afford to pay for the major sporting event.

The city’s draft 2023/24 budget released last week had an allocation of $7.6 million in 2025/26 in its four-year capital projects program.

Budget papers indicated the cash would go towards “contribution to the development of the Major Competition Venues for the Commonwealth Games 2026 to achieve the best legacy outcomes for the community”.

But the city’s contribution still pales in comparison to the full sum required to deliver the event.

The Victorian government last year budgeted $2.6 billion over four years to deliver the two-week event, and is lobbying the federal government to also contribute.

The commitment comes despite the city facing an expected $8 million deficit in 2022/23 due to cost overruns and it making wide-ranging cuts in coming years to return its under-pressure balance sheet to surplus.

The city has supported the Games coming to regional Victoria in 2026 and celebrated its opportunity to host part of the event – but has repeatedly flagged in the past 12 months that it had limited capacity to pay for the necessary projects.

Deputy mayor Anthony Aitken has been the most vocal advocate of this message since the Games were confirmed early last year.

In February, the then-council finance chair said the organisation “can’t afford” to meet its obligations amid deteriorating finances.