In March 2022 the government approved a gross cost budget of $2.7 billion for the Games with an estimated net cost of $1.6 billion.
When the government announced that Victoria would withdraw from hosting the Games in July 2023, it stated that the cost of hosting was certain to exceed $6 billion.
But both of these cost estimates were unreliable – the first estimate was understated and the final one was overstated.
The Commonwealth Games is an international multi-sport event involving athletes from Commonwealth nations and territories. It was first run in 1930 and has taken place every 4 years since 1950. Victoria was selected as the host for 2026.
This section summarises our key findings. Sections 1, 2 and 3 detail our complete findings, including supporting evidence.
When reaching our conclusions, we consulted with the audited agencies and considered their views. The agencies’ full responses are in Appendix A.
We made 2 recommendations to address the issue we identified. The relevant agencies have accepted one of these recommendations in part.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix H: Discontinued performance measures.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix G: New performance measures by department, by attribute.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix F: Departmental output changes.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix E: Departmental objective changes.
Download a PDF copy of Appendix D: How VAGO assessed departmental measures.
Click the link below to download a PDF copy of Appendix C. Scope of this audit.