Contracts out to tender for 2026 Commonwealth Games

Adrian Black | May 9, 2023

Preparations for Victoria’s 2026 Commonwealth Games are ramping up but it remains unclear how the $2.6 billion bill will be split. 

The Victorian government on Tuesday opened expressions of interest to complete the upgrade at Ballarat’s Eureka Stadium and to build a new venue at Miners Rest to accommodate and minimise disruption to local sporting activities.

The Ballarat venue will include an oval, pavilion, change rooms and car park, and Ballarat Showgrounds will be converted into an athletics warm-up facility for the games.

All events for the 2026 event except the opening ceremony will be held in regional Victorian hubs in Bendigo, Ballarat, Shepparton, the Latrobe Valley and Geelong, with athletes housed in new villages close to their respective events.

The state government expects the games will contribute more than $3b to Victoria’s economy, along with more than 7500 jobs before, during and after.

“We’re getting on with delivering Victoria 2026, investing in local sporting infrastructure across regional Victoria and creating thousands of jobs,” Commonwealth Games Delivery Minister Jacinta Allan said.

No funding is expected to be set aside for the 2026 games in Tuesday night’s federal budget, with the Victorian and Commonwealth governments yet to reach a funding agreement.

The Victorian government allocated $2.6b in last year’s state budget to prepare for the games and is seeking a federal contribution after cash was handed to Queensland for the 2018 event on the Gold Coast.

Premier Daniel Andrews said his government has made a formal request to Canberra but was not insistent on the funding being part of this year’s federal budget.

“This is not the last budget before the Commonwealth Games,” he told reporters on Tuesday morning.

“There’ll be a couple more so we continue to work co-operatively and in a partnership, calling out where we need to … (if) Victoria is not getting a fair share.”

The Victorian government has not stated how much it expects host councils to contribute.

Geelong City Council, which will host nine events and the closing ceremony, last month released a budget putting several local projects on hold, citing skyrocketing costs and forecasted an $8 million deficit this financial year.

Ballarat City Council has named Martin Darcy as a business unit director for the games to drive investment, reactivation and attraction in the historical gold-mining hub while ensuring a lasting legacy to the community.

Mr Darcy ran his own tourism business before taking roles with the NSW state government and Parks Australia, City of Ballarat chief executive Evan King said.

Tenders also went out on Tuesday for the construction of gymnastics and aquatics centres in the Geelong suburbs of Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek.

Development Victoria is calling for expressions of interest for the contracts until the end of May.