Premier Dan Andrews abandoned another global sporting event Victoria was set to host just months before his shock decision to ditch the Commonwealth Games.
The state government on Tuesday revealed it would not host the Games in 2026, blaming a forecast $2.6billion to $6billion cost blowout, yet vowed to proceed with infrastructure upgrades and housing builds connected to the event.
The decision caught many off-guard, but Mr Andrews could have been secretly mulling it over for weeks if not months, having adopted a similar approach with the 2025 beach volleyball world championships, which he abruptly scrapped in October.
The Victorian government had committed $15million to host the event and just two weeks after backing out, spent the same amount to bailout Netball Australia after the collapse of a funding deal with Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting.
Volleyball Australia president Craig Carracher told News Corp he was never given an explanation over why Mr Andrews had reneged on the funding promise.
‘I don’t understand how they can put their hand up, take their hand down, put it up and pull it back down,’ Mr Carracher said.
‘The reason they pulled the plug was never documented to us.’
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews backed out of a deal to host the beach volleyball world championships months before he did it on a larger scale with the Commonwealth Games
A Victorian government spokesperson said the volleyball world titles funding deal was a non-binding expression of interest, no contracts had been signed and it was well before the Visit Victoria sponsorship of Netball Australia was even considered.
Mr Carracher argues an agreement was signed as part of the government’s joint bid with Volleyball Australia and Torquay had been chosen as the location, it’s infrastructure to be used again for the Commonwealth Games.
Australian Olympic beach volleyball gold medallist Natalie Cook told the publication redirecting funding for her sport’s world championships and then backing out of the Commonwealth Games had damaged Australia’s reputation.
She said the Victorian government would be seen as ‘untrustworthy and unable to manage their projects’ and that regional areas relying on income from the events had been left high and dry.
Volleyball Australia eventually signed a deal with South Australia to host the event after months of frenzied negotiations and the tournament nearly being pulled from Australia and given to another country.
Volleyballers Chris McHugh, Paul Burnett, Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy pose during the Australian 2022 Commonwealth Games Beach Volleyball team announcement at Sandstorm Beach Club on May 13, 2022 in Brisbane
The Aussie women’s team won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games but the scrapping of the world championships and 2026 Games by Victoria has thrown preparations into disarray
On Wednesday, Mr Andrews said regional Victorian hubs in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and the Latrobe Valley that were set to host the Commonwealth Games will now have to share their infrastructure funding with the rest of the state.
The funding has been converted to a social housing fund.
‘Because we’re delivering more than we had originally planned to as an athlete’s village or legacy, there is additional housing for other parts of regional Victoria,’ Mr Andrews told reporters in Maryborough.
The government also announced $150 million to house workers in regions facing housing shortages.
Regional Cities Victoria chair and Bendigo Mayor Angela Metcalf said while the decision to cancel the Games had been disappointing, she hoped the social housing fund would still help communities.
‘But we must see a renewed focus on making our regional cities even better places to live and work’ Cr Metcalf said.
She also backed government plans to support housing for regional workers.
‘A lack of housing stock is keeping regional businesses from attracting the workers they need, and many locals are increasingly being priced out of the market – especially renters,’ she said.
Victoria Tourism Industry Council chief executive Felicia Mariani said the worker housing package did not go far enough to support a sector that had been banking on a massive windfall from the Games.
‘VTIC is calling for an investment of $80-$100 million in a major game-changing tourism infrastructure fund and $40-$60 million in a regional tourism marketing fund to drive demand in the national and global audiences that these Games were promising to deliver,’ Ms Mariani said.
State opposition leader John Pesutto said he was deeply concerned by the ‘betrayal’ of regional Victoria.
