Ex-Office of the Commonwealth Games staff on ‘gardening leave’

Five months after the Games were scrapped, staff are still having their exit packages finalised, with Jacinta Allan slammed for taking the “gold medal for wasting taxpayers’ money”.

Taxpayers are shelling out millions of dollars for at least 50 Commonwealth Games staff almost five months after the event was scrapped.

The Herald Sun can also ­reveal a sweetheart exit deal is being negotiated between the public sector union and Allan government under which former employees of the Office of the Commonwealth Games will be paid well into next year.

Staff employed to organise the 2026 event say they have been put on “gardening leave” in the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions while their exit packages are ­finalised.

Employees had been offered generous packages of a minimum five months’ pay and up to 10 months for long-term staff, according to a ­departmental email obtained by the Herald Sun.

The Allan government is negotiating a sweetheart exit deal with the public sector union for ex-Games employees. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

However, a consultation timeline for a broader departmental restructure has now been pushed out until the end of January.

It means employees have until January 29 to ­decide whether to accept a package, and will continue to be paid until then.

A government spokesman said more than half of the ­office’s former staff remained employed.

Of the 90 employees, 40 had so far left or given notice they would quit the public service.

The rest remained working on Games-related projects.

“We have always said that we would redeploy as many staff as possible to deliver the regional package,” the spokesman said.

Former Games employees have until January 29 to ­decide whether to accept a package, and will continue to be paid until then.

“We’re working closely with our staff and ­unions to make sure people are supported into a suitable new role wherever possible.

“The main reason we agreed to host the Games was to ­deliver lasting benefits in housing, tourism and sporting infrastructure for regional Victoria. That’s why we’re delivering a $2bn regional package to ­ensure regional Victoria still receives all the benefits that would have been facilitated by the Games.”

The Victoria 2026 organising committee’s annual report this month revealed more than $11m was spent on wages for Games staff to June 30.

It included $500,000 for one senior bureaucrat, and salaries in excess of $300,000 for another 10.

In total, 32 executives were paid upwards of $180,000.

As of June 30, the organisation had wasted more than $21m on costs associated with preparing the event.

The cancelled event is tipped to cost taxpayers more than $600m including the $380m in a confidential compensation payment.

Manager of opposition business James Newbury criticised the financial waste.

“Victoria didn’t even host the Commonwealth Games but Jacinta Allan holds the gold medal for wasting taxpayers’ money,” he said.

“The Premier has already wasted at least $600m on an event that won’t be held and she is now paying staff who won’t be doing any work. The waste is record breaking.”

Originally published as Ex-Office of the Commonwealth Games staff on ‘gardening leave’