‘Rubbish In, Rubbish Out’: Commonwealth Games Costings Slammed

A consulting giant hired to crunch the numbers on Victoria’s bid for the Commonwealth Games did not scrutinise the supplied costings. A long-running inquiry into the doomed 2026 Games resumed public hearings on Aug. 9. The ill-fated event was axed in July 2023 following a massive estimated cost blowout. A business case for the regional Games, developed by the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions, was inadequate for the government to make an informed decision on costs, Auditor-General Andrew Greaves found. The department separately hired KPMG to model the economic impacts of hosting the event based on projections by fellow consulting firm EY....