Victorian premier says moving 2026 event to city was cheapest hosting option, but would have cost more than $4bn

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Daniel Andrews says moving the 2026 Commonwealth Games to Melbourne was “probably the cheapest” alternative option but the cost still would have exceeded $4bn, as he defended the shock decision to cancel the event instead.

The Victorian opposition said it has now written to the state’s auditor general to examine how much the decision to end the contract to host the event will cost taxpayers. It also wants the watchdog to scrutinise how costs soared beyond the original estimate of $2.6bn last year, to between $6bn and $7bn that the Victorian government used to justify cancelling the event, which was to be held across five regional sites.

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