SPORT
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
By LIAM DURKIN
LATROBE Valley residents will watch the Commonwealth Games from in front of a screen this week.
While they will still cheer on their favourite athletes, there will be an undeniable sense they could have been doing it right here in Victoria.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games are set to get underway in Glasgow tomorrow (July 23).
The same event was to be staged in regional Victoria, before the then-Andrews government bailed after looking at the budget sheet in 2023.
The government promised the Games during a state election year the previous year.
Latrobe Valley was to host cricket, rugby sevens, badminton and shooting, while road cycling was also expected to make its way through the region.
As a compromise, the government committed to delivering stadium upgrades and social housing.
Some projects have been delivered, others remain incomplete or are months behind schedule.
Ted Summerton Reserve, Moe has been open in a limited capacity the last fortnight. Latrobe City Sports Stadium (Falcons Park), Morwell is still under construction, but looking mightily impressive.
Once complete, both facilities are tipped to be among the best sporting grounds in regional Victoria.
Morwell Gun Club has been enjoying its Olympic-standard trap shooting range for a couple of months. Upgrades to the Gippsland Regional Indoor Sports Stadium, Traralgon however are still yet to come.
As welcome as the new facilities are, it is hard to ignore the exact reason why they have been upgraded in the first place.
To many, the 2026 Commonwealth Games was not a case of what could have been for the Latrobe Valley, but what should have been.
“The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland are a reminder of the lost opportunity for regional Victoria at the hands of Labor,” Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath said.
“The Commonwealth Games debacle is an absolute blight on the current Premier’s record, and it’s painfully ironic that Jacinta Allan was the former Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery.
“The 2026 Regional Victoria Commonwealth Games deception will forever be known as the ‘Con Games’ after Labor cruelly pulled the rug out from under our communities.”
Federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester was even more scathing in his view.
“We now know it was a cruel hoax and both Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan lied to get elected,” he asserted.
“What should have been a once-in-a-generation opportunity for regional communities quickly became a Commonwealth Games debacle.
“Victorians were misled from day one, and taxpayers were left with a $589 million bill for a Commonwealth Games that will be hosted in Scotland instead.”
Morwell MP Harriet Shing was Minister for Commonwealth Games Legacy at the time the Games were cancelled.
She has always sympathised with local sentiment regarding the issue, but maintained it would have been irresponsible to proceed with the event.
“It would have been great to have these Games in Gippsland, I don’t think anyone disagrees with that, but at a cost of more than $6 billion for a 12-day event, when people are grappling with the cost-of-living, it’s a project that just didn’t stack up,” she said.
“As soon as the decision was taken not to proceed, we immediately allocated $2 billion toward the regional package, that includes $520 million to upgrade sporting facilities but also $1 billion for at least 1300 social and affordable homes throughout rural and regional Victoria.”
When asked if she had a favourite Commonwealth Games sport, Shing said she was looking forward to watching the aquatic events.
She will be one of many cheering on the likes of Traralgon swimmer Emily Beecroft OAM in the pool.
Beecroft has spent many hours training at the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre. Shing opened the $57 million facility in March 2021, of which the state government provided $46m.
While there was much political spin around the 2026 Commonwealth Games saga, one thing was never mentioned.
Victoria has already hosted the Commonwealth Games.
The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria. The Canadian city of Victoria of course.
