When the true account of how this debacle occurred is told,it will be ample fodder for the writers of ABC comedy seriesUtopia – which is based on the fictional politically-handicapped and bureaucratically-plagued Nation Building Authority,whose job is overseeing Australia’s (often ill-conceived and under-costed) infrastructure projects.
The internationally embarrassing episode of Victoria ditching the Games is surely the point at which satire meets reality.
In 2022,the hosting of the 2026 Commonwealth Games was a positive announceable for the Dan Andrews government. Costed by outside consultants,it was supposed to be GDP-positive for the state. Fair or not,the fiasco will add fuel to the view that governments should reduce their reliance on consultants,like the big four,whose operations are now the subject of a federal Senate inquiry.
The fact that Victoria was uncontested in its bid should have sent up the first red flag.
The internationally embarrassing episode of Victoria ditching the Games is surely the point at which satire meets reality.
The unravelling of this project will become an unfortunate chapter in the history of the Games,one that will live longer than any positive glow from the Victorian government’s responsible decision to cut its losses on hosting them.
Sure,there is a rich history of federal and state governments grossly underestimating the costs of large projects – from the construction of the National Broadband Network to the Snowy Hydro 2.0 (originally costed at $2 billion and at last count close to $6 billion and counting),or Melbourne’s suburban rail loop,which is expected to blow out to at least four times the original price.