$7bn cost estimate used to axe Commonwealth Games based on worst-case scenario, inquiry reveals

The head of Victoria’s Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions told an inquiry Jacinta Allan, then deputy premier, was warned in March that costs for the Commonwealth Games could reach $4.5bn. Photograph: Morgan Sette/AAP

The controversial $7bn cost estimate used by Daniel Andrews to justify axing the 2026 Commonwealth Games was based on a worst-case scenario modelled by the event’s organising committee and a government department, it has been revealed.

The government cancelled the event on 18 July, with the former premier blaming cost estimates tripling from $2.6bn to up to $7bn.