Victorian premier Daniel Andrews answers questions on Bendigo and Ballarat groups' testimony at the Senate inquiry into the Commonwealth Games cancellation.
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00:00 Today in the Senate inquiry, regional representatives said that they weren't listened to by the State Government,
00:05 rather the Government was dictating to them how the games would run.
00:09 So who in regional Victoria said that?
00:11 A representative from Ballarat.
00:13 From where was it?
00:15 The Committee for Ballarat.
00:16 Well the Committee for Ballarat were not paying for the games.
00:18 The Committee for Ballarat were making precisely zero contribution to the cost of the games.
00:23 That's the first point.
00:24 The second point, I don't know that that's necessarily accurate.
00:28 There was deep engagement with councils, with all manner of different people.
00:33 And again I don't know how that necessarily relates to the fact that we had a fundamental choice here,
00:37 proceed to spend, you know, $7 billion on a 12 day sporting event or not.
00:42 I don't know whether having meetings with the Committee for Ballarat,
00:46 who, you know, have an important role to play, but they were not footing the bill for this.
00:49 I don't know how those two things are linked.
00:51 And again I'm not certain that there was an engagement with lots of civic leaders,
00:55 whether it be at a local government level or otherwise.
00:57 But would the state government money be best targeted if it was,
01:01 if you consulted with the communities that were...
01:04 For whose to say it hasn't been welcomed or targeted?
01:07 Or Committee for Ballarat.
01:08 They might not have been paying for it, but they might be able to...
01:11 Again, I'm not going to have a debate with the Committee for Ballarat.
01:13 The Committee for Ballarat has precisely no statutory authority around these matters whatsoever.
01:17 And I'm rejecting the premise of your question that there wasn't consultation,
01:20 there wasn't deep engagement with lots of different people from lots of different communities.
01:24 I fail to see a link, because I don't think there is one,
01:27 between that sort of engagement or otherwise.
01:30 And the fact that these Games are going to cost $7 billion,
01:34 money that we're not prepared to spend,
01:36 money that is not well spent on the Games, the funds for 12 days.
01:39 And the fact that this matter has been settled out, closed out,
01:42 with Commonwealth Games authorities means that all the parties agreed,
01:45 we all agreed, that to proceed with this at that cost
01:50 does not represent pay you for money, it does not represent the right thing to do.
01:54 It's dead, it's painful, it's challenging and as difficult as it is,
01:58 we should do something different.
01:59 The Commonwealth Games authorities should get on with finding another host
02:02 and we should get on with building thousands of houses in the region of Victoria.
02:05 That's the decision we've made.
02:07 In the same vein, though, the Bendigo Table Tennis Association
02:10 didn't want to have it there because they said they didn't have the facilities.
02:13 With the greatest of respect, I am not here to have a debate
02:18 with the Bendigo Table Tennis Association.
02:20 I don't know that I've ever met anyone from that association.
02:23 I'm being absolutely respectful, I'm not briefed on that matter
02:26 and I'm not here to have a debate with them.
02:28 What about the fact that the Geelong Hockey Association
02:30 says that they were called to come to a press conference
02:32 to stand next to Jacinta Allen and spruik the Games
02:36 when they were still going ahead and now they say
02:38 they haven't heard anything from the State Government
02:40 about what their legacy benefits will be, if any?
02:42 All the stated legacy benefits, all the stated legacy benefits and more
02:46 are going to be delivered across not just those cities that were to host events
02:54 but in a broader context, other parts of the region of Victoria.
02:58 For instance, housing won't just be in the valley.
03:01 Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong, the housing package will be across the region of Victoria
03:05 driven by where the greatest need is.
03:07 There'll be some housing in those cities but there'll be a broader benefit from that.
03:11 The tourism and major events package, the key worker accommodation package,
03:15 all of those things do not just relate to those individual cities.
03:20 What is pegged to those cities is things like some of the sporting infrastructure
03:26 that was going to be upgraded or delivered as community sporting infrastructure
03:30 post the elite competition.
03:32 That's still happening.
03:35 As to who met with whom and who's disappointed,
03:38 I'm really not in a position to comment on that other than to say, of course,
03:41 of course we'd all prefer not to be in this position.
03:44 We'd all prefer to be running the games at close to what the original budget estimate was.
03:48 That's not the reality we face.
03:50 So you can just stubbornly push on and pretend that it's not going to cost you $7 billion.
03:54 You know, just so I hope no one notices and then when it's all tallied up,
03:58 "Oh, you know, it costs $7 billion."
04:01 No, no, no, that's not the leadership, that's not what I offer.
04:03 That's not what I offer, that's not what we are doing.
04:05 We are instead delivering all the legacy and more
04:08 and have some closeness about the power and the room between the parties.
04:13 And I think that's much more highly preferable,
04:16 not easy and not pleasant for many,
04:18 but highly preferable than spending $6 to $7 billion on a 12-day sporting event.
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