Daniel Andrews set to snub inquiry into cancelled Commonwealth games

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is set to snub two powerful parliamentary inquiries looking into the controversial cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The state government is still being questioned over how it came to the conclusion the games would cost more than than $6 billion after initially selling it to Victorians as a $2.6 billion project.

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00:00 Building tunnels in Melbourne's west.

00:04 The Westgate tunnel project is $4 billion over budget and years behind schedule, but

00:10 it is going ahead, unlike the Commonwealth Games which the government scrapped over cost

00:15 blowouts.

00:16 This is absolutely unconscionable.

00:18 Daniel Andrews and his team are facing twin state and federal parliamentary probes into

00:22 the cancellation.

00:23 But as to the question of whether the Premier or his deputy will front the state inquiry...

00:27 No, this is an upper house inquiry.

00:31 A rule called exclusive cognisance means the state's upper house has no power to compel

00:35 MPs from the lower house.

00:37 Could you think of something so contemptuous of the Victorian people who are concerned

00:43 about the financial compensation and damages we're now going to have to pay.

00:47 They chose an upper house committee, they need to deal with the confines or the opportunities

00:52 that are presented by the avenue that they chose.

00:54 Even before the Games were culled, a federal inquiry had concerns about whether the infrastructure

00:58 would be built in time.

01:00 It now wants to hear from the Premier about why it's been cancelled.

01:04 They have to front up and explain that.

01:05 They have to be accountable for that decision and they have to be transparent.

01:10 State MPs and officials are not compelled to appear at Senate inquiries.

01:14 The Premier's office only received his invitation this morning.

01:17 Why has the Deputy Premier chosen to cut and run by refusing to confirm that she will appear

01:22 before the select committee?

01:24 It's just basically a political stunt would be my view.

01:27 I think this is just all about trying to call witnesses in front of cameras and a bit of

01:32 theatrics.

01:34 Even without the Premier's parliamentary performance, the fact this inquiry won't report until 2025

01:40 gives the opposition a chance to keep this issue well and truly alive.

01:44 The key is to find out how and why the government got the cost of the Games so horribly wrong.

01:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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