Swimming Victoria was only made aware of a plan to build two pools for the 2026 Commonwealth Games – only to rip them out afterwards – just months before the government cancelled the event.
Jason Hellwig, the chief executive of Swimming Victoria, has told an upper house inquiry into the event’s cancellation that on 30 May he was briefed about the government’s plans to build a new swimming and diving centre in Armstrong Creek, on Geelong’s fringe.
The government planned to spend $111m on the facility, which would have included two 50-metre pools, a diving pool and other infrastructure such as stands.
But Hellwig said the two pools would be removed after the games and replaced with a “smaller pool” and “some additional netball and basketball facilities”.
Hellwig described the plan for Armstrong Creek as a “significant cost to build something … that’s then not going to exist”.
“We did receive one briefing on the proposal for swimming to be conducted at Armstrong Creek,” Hellwig told the inquiry on Monday.
“We provided our position on that at that time, which was essentially that we were concerned. Based on that plan there was going to be a challenge around legacy for the sport.”
He said Victoria’s existing pools were “ageing” and failing to keep up with swimming’s popularity and the state’s growing population, particularly in Melbourne’s west.
“Our participation as a sport is up 30% since 2017,” he said.
“But also down at the other end of the spectrum with learn to swim … there are significant waiting lists across the state.
“As an example in western Melbourne there’s waiting lists of over 12 months and over 2,000 children to be able to access learn to swim.”
He said a survey of members conducted in the 2022-23 financial year found 38% didn’t have access to kick start blocks in their facilities, while 29% can’t practise dive starts in pools.
“That’s how aged they are,” Hellwig said.
When the Victorian government cancelled the games, they pledged to redirect about $2.6bn to regional housing and sporting infrastructure.
Swimming Victoria has yet to hear whether this will include funding for pools.
“That would be an enormously positive legacy to resurrect from a clearly disappointing, arguably bewildering, but nonetheless real situation,” Hellwig said.
Craig Phillips, the head of Commonwealth Games Australia, also appeared before the inquiry.
He said the premier, Jacinta Allan, who was then the minister responsible for delivering the Commonwealth Games, gave an assurance to officials in April that the event’s additional budget would be signed off.
“We got the impression that she was very confident that the budget would be available,” Phillips said.
The inquiry has previously heard Allan was briefed in March that costs could reach $4.5bn to hold the 12-day event. Further analysis from the Victoria 2026 organising committee and the Office of the Commonwealth Games estimated it would cost $6-7bn to run.
After cancelling the event, the Victorian government agreed to pay $380m in compensation to Commonwealth Games bodies for terminating their contract.
Phillips said they were yet to receive the funds, as the Commonwealth Games Federation in the UK were seeking advice regarding taxes.
“The CGF is just working through tax treatment of that at the moment. What they’re concerned about is being hit with a very hefty tax bill,” he said.
He confirmed some of the compensation would also be put towards staging the 2026 event in another city.
The chief executive of Volleyball Australia, Andrew Dee, said the body would “absolutely” have to reconsider dealing with the Victorian government again in future.
“We would certainly want to undertake some assurances. We would certainly want sanctions and penalties for breach of contract,” Dee said.
“Never in your wildest dreams would you have thought that the Commonwealth Games would be cancelled after signing the contract … The reputational damage is significant.”
