A lack of access to documents has hampered an inquiry into the cancellation of the regional commonwealth games, an interim report has found.
It’s also found the timeline for negotiating to host the games in the first place was too short, and the cost was underestimated.
“It is possible that if the Government had taken the time to produce a more considered business case, it may not have gone ahead with its decision to host the Games in the first place,” committee chair David Limbrick said.
“This would have prevented the loss of over half a billion taxpayer dollars,”
He was also critical of the lack of access to documents in the investigation.
“The government is accountable to the parliament and, through the parliament, to the people of Victoria. It should not set the conditions by which it is held to account.”
The interim report has made 23 findings, with a final report to be released in April next year.
Geelong was set to play a key role as a host city.
