Senator Bridget McKenzie challenges Daniel Andrews to explain Commonwealth Games cancellation

Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether he would appear before any inquiry, describing it as a ‘hypothetical’.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Transport Minister Jacinta Allan on Tuesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

A Senate committee will reopen a probe into the Commonwealth Games and could subpoena Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to give evidence on his decision to cancel the international sporting event.

Shadow infrastructure minister Bridget McKenzie said the Senate Standing References Committee on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport was set to hold hearings in Geelong and Bendigo in August, for which it had already taken submissions, but would now “reopen submissions and actually seek updated submissions from those stakeholders who have already given us evidence”.

“We know that there are now a lot of people that have a unique perspective on what went wrong, where and why. Why was this decision taken? What are the financial implications?” Senator McKenzie told Sky News.

“Those are the questions we need to be asking on behalf of a Senate inquiry on behalf of taxpayers. And to understand what went wrong in this instance but also what are the learnings for future bids.”

Senator McKenzie said the committee had the power to subpoena various individuals and private entities, and should be an exercise in transparency for the ministers involved, including Mr Andrews.

“This is his opportunity to tell the Australian people why he made the decision and to submit himself to accountability and transparency measures,” she said.

“If he really backs his decision, this is his opportunity to show the wider Australian public why he made his decision, what it was based on and why he should back it in.

“I think there are international stakeholders who would be very keen to set the record straight … (on) the false pretences of the Victorian government in many, many serious and high-level meetings over months, (they) need to be given a right to have their say so we can obviously learn from this.”

She said EY Australia, which had made the original cost estimate, also needed to be called to the inquiry.

Senator Bridget McKenzie. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Senator McKenzie said Mr Andrews had created a “sovereign risk”, which has “wide-ranging implications far beyond the Commonwealth Games”.

“It turns out, after his behaviour and his government’s behaviour, they knew a long time ago they were not going to be going through with the Commonwealth Games, and kept that hidden with international partners like the Commonwealth Games Federation, like national sporting bodies, and indeed their own local regional councils, and the broader government in Victoria.

“It sends a signal that a contract with the Victorian government, and potentially having federal implications, isn’t worth the paper it’s written on and can be torn up at any given time.”

Mr Andrews and Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan declined to comment on a “hypothetical”.

“I haven’t received an invitation so I won’t be dealing with completely hypothetical matters,” the Premier said when asked whether he would accept an invitation to appear before any inquiry.

Bendigo-based Ms Allan, who until last week was Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery, said Mr Andrews had “addressed this”, and took a swipe at Senator McKenzie over the sports rorts scandal when asked whether she would attend.

“This is a hypothetical. There’s some speculation in the press, and Senator McKenzie’s been running around saying all sorts of things,” Ms Allan said.

“We regional Victorians know well Senator McKenzie’s record when it came to delivering rorts instead of sporting grants to country communities. Let’s wait and see what happens in Canberra.”