Liberals want Games funding breakdown

THE Victorian Liberals have continued their criticism of the state Labor Government over Victoria 2026, visiting Geelong to call for a breakdown of who would pay for the coming Commonwealth Games.

Geelong is one of the five regional Games hubs, and Shadow Minister for the Commonwealth Games David Southwick and Shadow Minister for Sport Sam Groth met with industry and sporting groups in Geelong on Wednesday this week.

Starting in March 2026, the Games are expected to cost about $2.6 billion, but it is not yet clear what proportion of that figure the City of Greater Geelong (and other local councils), the state government, and the federal government will need to provide.

On Wednesday, Mr Southwick said Victorians “deserve urgent clarity on how much they will pay to deliver the Commonwealth Games”.

“It is crucial for the Liberals and Nationals to continue to consult with regional Victorians to gauge a greater understanding of what councils and sporting bodies require from government to host the Games in 2026.

“Financially stretched councils need guarantees that they won’t be left to pay for legacy infrastructure promised by [Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery] Jacinta Allan and the Andrews Government just because they can’t manage their own budget.”

Mr Groth said Geelong needed to be supported in delivering Victoria 2026.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase what Geelong, and regional Victoria more broadly has to offer on the world stage.

“The Games will be here in less than three years’ time. The least the Andrews Government could do is provide some clarity on how it will be delivered.

“We will continue to meet with industry groups and community representatives to ensure the Andrews Government is held accountable and delivers a Games to remember.”

The Andrews Government last year earmarked the full $2.6 billion figure over four years to deliver Victoria 2026 but did not include any specific funding in its 2023/24 Budget, nor did the federal government in its 2023/24 Budget.

The City of Greater Geelong has repeatedly stated it has no spare funds to pay for Victoria 2026 facilities, with Cr Anthony Aitken saying in March that the city “can’t afford” the Games.

However, the city’s draft 2023/24 budget allocated $7.6 million to be spent on the Games in 2025/26 as part of the four-year capital projects program.