Federal budget 2023: Daniel Andrews downplays lack of Commonwealth Games funding
The Victorian Premier says the March 2026 Commonwealth Games are ‘not happening next week’ so there’s still time to lock in federal funding.
Daniel Andrews has played down the lack of budget funding for Victoria’s 2026 Commonwealth Games, saying that while it’s not a “problem”, he’s also not going to let the Albanese government “off the hook”.
The Victorian Premier walked a fine line in responding to the budget on Wednesday, talking up his Labor counterparts as a government with a “positive plan” run by people “who know where Victoria is”, but conceding that “no budget is perfect” when quizzed on health and infrastructure funding shortfalls.
Mr Andrews attributed an $810m cut in Victoria’s share of health funding compared with that provided under the Morrison government to the Covid pandemic, prompting the state opposition to accuse him of failing to stand up to “Labor mates”.
Asked how he intends to fund the $2.6bn Games, set to be held in regional Victoria in less than three years, Mr Andrews said the budget would not be the last federal budget before the 2026 event.
“The Commonwealth Games is not happening next week, so we do have time, and we do have some optimism that the Albanese government will be a partner,” the Premier said.
“The extent to which they partner, which bits they might provide support for, that’s the subject of all sorts of discussions, and we’ll report progress at the appropriate time.”
Asked whether the event needed funding certainty, Mr Andrews said his government had already provided some funding.
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas is due to hand down what is widely expected to be a grim state budget in just under a fortnight.
“It’s not like the fact that it wasn’t funded in the budget last night is a problem, but at the same time, we’re not letting them off the hook,” Mr Andrews said, citing $3.4bn set aside for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, and federal funding for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
“They contributed as a federal government to the Queensland Commonwealth Games. They’ve contributed to the Olympic Games that are being held up there. It’s only fair and right that they contribute to the Commonwealth Games being held in regional Victoria in 2026.”
Asked whether he expected to have certainty regarding federal funding for the Games by the end of the year, Mr Andrews said: “Yeah, I would think so. When the money flows is a different issue. It can come at any time, really, but giving us a commitment will be really important, and they know that and we’ll continue to work with them,” he said.
Asked to explain why Tuesday night’s budget contained $810m less for the Victorian health system than the last Morrison government budget, Mr Andrews said: “I think there’s a bit more work to be done around exactly what, if you like, explains that.
“That might be Covid spending that doesn‘t need to be made anymore because Covid is in a very different place.
“Let me chase that for you, and I’ll come back to you with our best understanding of that. No budget is perfect. No one budget delivers everything.
“We think it’s a really good thing that Medicare got a significant boost last night, but there’s a lot more to do.”
Opposition Treasury spokesman Brad Rowswell accused Mr Andrews of “rolling over”, saying the Premier would not be “giving Albo a serve, because he’s a Labor mate”.
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