Liberals pledge big changes to Commonwealth Games in Geelong

THE Victorian Liberals have doubled down on their call from July that GMHBA Stadium must host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Labor confirmed earlier this month that Geelong’s premier stadium would be the venue for the end point of Victoria 2026, but the Liberals announced on Thursday last week that as the 12-day Games are being touted as “the regional Games”, the only way for “the entire Geelong region (to) reap the full benefits” would be to move the opening ceremony from the MCG to GMHBA Stadium under a Matt Guy Government.

Geelong will host nine sports and the Liberals are also flagging changes to the Victoria 2026 venues to be built here, which Labor costed at $292 million to construct.

Instead of building a new aquatics centre in Armstrong Creek for swimmers, para swimmers and divers, the Liberals will instead build a Kardinia Park Aquatic Centre to “create a truly world-class international sporting precinct”.

The multi-sports facility to host the artistic gymnastics and weightlifting events would be shifted from Waurn Ponds to Armstrong Creek.

Labor proposes building an athletes’ village next door to Waurn Ponds Station but Shadow Minister for Housing and Polwarth Liberal MP Richard Riordan wants an alternate location.

“This government’s come out with a plan to put 2,500 people – that’s more than the CBD – between the train line at Waurn Ponds and Baanip Way [Boulevard],” he said at last week’s launch for Liberal candidates in the Geelong region.

“Now who on earth in Geelong possibly thinks that’s a vision for this city? We certainly don’t.

“It’s not a vision; it’s a half-thought idea that wasn’t done in consultation with Geelong City [the City of Greater Geelong] and it’s going to leave this community very short-changed.”

The Liberals have not revealed how much their revised plan for the Games in Geelong would cost.

Shadow Minister for Sport Cindy McLeish said the opening and closing ceremonies must be held in regional Victoria to make it a truly regional Victorian Commonwealth Games.

“Instead of launching the regional games in our capital city, let’s take this chance to put Geelong and all it has to offer on the world stage. There is no better choice to kick off regional Victoria’s Commonwealth Games than in largest stadium outside of Melbourne.”

South Barwon Labor MP Darren Cheeseman criticised the Liberals for not building an aquatic centre in Armstrong Creek for the Games.

“My community is the fastest-growing community in regional Australia, and they’re entitled to that infrastructure,” he said.

“All of those mums and dads, all of those families are looking forward to being able to go along to that sporting event, and being able to later on use that world-class sporting infrastructure to be able to train their kids to swim.”