Victoria’s scrapped 2026 Commonwealth Games cost $589m in ‘significant waste of taxpayer money’, auditor general says

Victoria’s auditor general said the cost of cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games was considerable given Victoria’s rising debt levels. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

The scrapped 2026 Commonwealth Games have cost Victoria more than $589m, the state’s auditor general says, in a report that calls the project a “waste of taxpayer money” with “no discernible benefit”.

The scathing report investigated the Victorian government’s shock cancellation of Games last year and found the cited $6.9bn cost blowout was “overstated”.