Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has been called to front a Senate inquiry over his government’s cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
National senator Bridget McKenzie fronted the push, and wants the committee to ask Mr Andrews along with Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan, former Games Legacy Minister Harriet Shing, and Victoria Treasurer Tim Pallas to give evidence.
Ms McKenzie confirmed the Senate committee examining Australia’s preparedness to host Commonwealth and Olympic Games had agreed to reopen submissions.
“The cancellation by the [Victorian Government] has far reaching implications not just for Victorian communities, businesses and sporting groups, but also for our international reputation,” Ms McKenzie said in a Tweet.
She also said to Sky News there are “now a lot of people that have a unique perspective on what went wrong, where and why”.
“When was this decision taken? What are the financial implications? They are the sorts of questions we need to be asking as a senate inquiry on behalf of federal taxpayers.”
On Tuesday, Mr Andrews said he hadn’t “received an initiation” to front the Senate and he wouldn’t be “dealing with completely hypothetical matters” when asked if he would speak before the inquiry.
“There’s a negotiation going on and we’ll appropriately respect that.”
Victoria Premier Dan Andrews
Several hearings have already been scheduled in Brisbane, Geelong and Bendigo for August but it’s understood more dates could be agreed to.
Last week, the Victorian Government scrapped its plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games across five regional areas, citing the allocation of $2.6 billion to host the event had increased to $6-$7 billion.
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