Unions eye Commonwealth Games deals as projects go down to wire
Victorian unions are hovering over the $2.6bn Commonwealth Games amid concerns about funding shortfalls and infrastructure delivery.
Victorian unions are circling the $2.6bn Commonwealth Games amid serious concerns about budget funding shortfalls, local government chaos and questions over whether infrastructure can be built on time.
The Albanese government and Victoria are in talks about the federal contribution to the Games but funding for infrastructure is set to fall short of the generous agreement struck with Queensland for the 2032 Olympics.
Construction unions are in talks over how to carve up the work to deliver infrastructure for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with building work on several athletes villages and stadium overhauls yet to begin, despite the Games due to start in just over 1000 days.
Geelong Trades Hall secretary Tony Anderson said he was concerned about the increasingly tight deadlines but said labour should be paid as full-time employees, apprentices hired and preference given to local workers.
A CFMEU spokesperson said talks were under way about the Games but it was premature to say what role the union would have in building infrastructure.
Mr Anderson said he had raised issues directly with the government and there needed to be local procurement of labour as well as a preference for the Geelong athletes village to be built on site rather than via portables shipped to Victoria’s second city. “We haven’t had answers,’’ he said.
The Games will be held mainly in Geelong but events will also held in other regional centres including Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Gippsland.
The regional Games mean some of the world’s best sporting infrastructure has been shunned in Melbourne and hundreds of thousands of people will need to be accommodated and transported across the state.
The regions are crucial to Labor’s election strategy, having for years locked in the main regional city seats. The government has flagged the need to bolster temporary accommodation such as caravans to house tourists and officials, while athletes villages have to be built in key centres, part-funded by Canberra.
A spokeswoman for Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the federal government would be happy to explore opportunities with the Victorian government on the development of Commonwealth Games villages “where this aligns with our goal to build more social and affordable housing”.
“We note that the Victorian government has already announced and started tendering for Games venues. Discussions are continuing,’’ she said.
But Victoria, racing towards net debt of $171bn by 2026-27, had been hoping for a 50:50 split with Canberra, with upgrades also needed for key stadiums in Geelong and Ballarat.
There is also inevitable pressure on local government, with the City of Greater Geelong recently discovering a budget black hole but still pledging $8m for the Games. The council is widely viewed as being in chaos and critics have questioned its ability to contribute substantially to the Games, including through ongoing costs from running more facilities.
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