For regional Victorians, we should be marking the calendar off being one year out from the 2026 Commonwealth Games, yet nobody is celebrating the countdown.
Instead, we are paying the price for the former Minister for the Commonwealth Games, now Premier Jacinta Allan and the Labor Government’s financial mismanagement.
The Nationals’ Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, has said it was appalling the amount the cancellation of the Commonwealth Games is still costing Victorian taxpayers.
“$589 million that included a $200 million sent to Glasgow, Scotland to take on Labor’s embarrassing cancellation.
“What should have been the showpiece of regional Victoria has turned into nothing more than financial debts, lost opportunities in tourism, hospitality, retail and more importantly housing.
“We are still suffering a housing crisis, and I have previously called for our region to be included in Labor’s $1 billion Regional Housing Fund that was promised after the Games cancellation.
“Homelessness figures continue to rise, whilst this government are focused on spending billions of dollars on tunnels that won’t be finished for ten years”, Ms O’Keeffe said.
Ms O’Keeffe said the continual increases to cost of living and the most dilapidated and unsafe roads that we have ever seen in regional Victoria are just more examples of being let down by the Allan Labor Government.
“There are many sporting facilities that have been ignored, left to deteriorate to unsatisfactory conditions across the electorate including the Shepparton Sports Stadium.
“We called for this redevelopment to be funded and considered at the start of the Games proposal.
“I will continue to lobby for that project and other run-down sporting facilities that have been ignored.
“The Allan Labor can’t manage money, can’t manage projects and regional Victorians are paying the price.”
