Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) | Hansard source

And the AFL Grand Final, thank you—go Saints! We are very, very good at hosting international events. But I rise tonight to speak on this matter of public importance: the failure of the Anthony Albanese Labor government to stand up for our incredible athletes and stop Premier Daniel Andrews from cancelling the 2026 Commonwealth Games; and the damage to our international sovereignty and sporting reputation resulting from the cancellation of the event.

On 18 July this year, our national—not just Victoria's, not just Melbourne's, but our national—reputation as a sporting and business capital was dealt an enormous blow by the sudden decision of the Labor state premier to cancel the Commonwealth Games. This was an unprecedented decision. Only World War II had stopped the Commonwealth Games prior to this. This decision by Premier Andrews was one he doesn't regret, one he didn't even think about, if you take his public comments as he's said. It didn't give him a moment's concern. But I can tell that you the very proud residents and local communities of Geelong, of Bendigo, of Ballarat, of Shepparton and of the La Trobe Valley were very much looking forward to being on the global stage and showcasing what they could do when it comes to hosting the Commonwealth Games.

The Labor Party—for those playing along at home—will stand up tonight and talk about: 'It's the Comm Games. Who cares?' I'll tell you who cares: the young Australian athletes who left yesterday and today for Trinidad and Tobago for the Youth Commonwealth Games. It turns out the sports minister—I don't know if she's even posted about it—doesn't care. The Commonwealth Games is part of a pipeline of events that, if you are a young athlete in this country, you look forward to participating in and competing in against the best in the world. Particularly, if you're a netballer, it's the premier event—and good luck to the Diamonds during the World Cup at the moment—as indeed it is for our track athletes.

You heard Senator Wong stand up today during question time: 'This was a decision for the Premier.' Yes, but it has national and international implications. That is why you had the United Kingdom's sports minister on our local TVs here. These are our allies in more than just Commonwealth sporting events, in more than just the Ashes we challenged them to over this last month. These are our strategic partners as well, and our sporting alliances bring economic benefits and diplomatic benefits.

The Premier can wake up and, with no evidence, claim that the costs have blown out—not table a document and not go through a public process. Indeed, the Commonwealth Games Federation rejects his figures. This is a state government which has continually undermined the rollout of these games, which is why this chamber set up a Senate inquiry in April to question what was going wrong with the Victorian Commonwealth Games. Now we know. We know the Premier was just planning a cheap political trick to win a state election last year. He's been called out by the Commonwealth Games Federation, no less.

The National Party, including Martin Cameron and Gaelle Broad in Bendigo, have stood up for their local communities and have championed the hosting of the games. It's up to Anthony Albanese to bring the premiers together and find an Australian solution.