Victorian Parliamentary Commonwealth Games cancellation inquiry launches public hearings

The Victorian Parliamentary probe into the handling of the cancelled Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games will hold its first public hearings next week.

Being held on the mornings of Monday 9th October and Friday 13th October, the Legislative Council Select Committee has called on representatives of Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet; Department of Treasury and Finance; Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions and Department of Families, Fairness and Housing to appear at the hearings.

In addition, representatives of the former Office of the Commonwealth Games and organising committee Victoria 2026 are scheduled Monday while tourism and events body Visit Victoria and regulator Environment Protection Authority will be represented at Friday’s hearing.

Announcing the hearings, Committee Chair, David Limbrick advised “there are many questions around the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria and we will be seeking answers from those closest to the organising process.

“We’ll be interrogating the advice provided to government, taking a sharp look at the governance, probity and procurement of this event.”

The inquiry is also evaluating the impacts of the Games’ cancellation on Victoria’s reputation, as well as the state’s business and tourism sectors.

Interested parties are invited to make a submission as part of the inquiry until Monday 23rd October 2023.

The Victorian Legislative Council Select Committee has nine members, including three MPs each from the government, opposition and crossbench.

It intends to hold further hearings before providing an interim report to parliament by 30th April 2024. A final report is due by April 2025.

Click here for more information about the inquiry on the Committee’s website.