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Legal professionals the Victorian authorities employed to barter the cancellation of the Commonwealth Video games weeks earlier than it formally made the announcement value taxpayers greater than $1 million, paperwork present.
The paperwork supplied to parliament reveal the federal government engaged legal professionals from Melbourne agency Arnold Bloch Leiber concerning the “withdrawal from internet hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Video games” in June 2023.
Nevertheless it wasn’t till at the least three weeks in a while July 18, then-premier Daniel Andrews known as a snap press convention to announce the shock cancellation of the regional Victorian occasion.
Victorian taxpayers forked out greater than $1.2 million for the legal professionals to journey to London to barter a compensation deal and proceed their work for the federal government till September, the paperwork reveal.
That’s on high of the $380 million in compensation Victoria was pressured to pay for the cancellation, after a settlement was reached.
The Commonwealth Video games Federation criticised the state authorities after it was given simply eight hours’ discover that the 2026 Video games could be scrapped.
Opposition accuses Labor of ‘torching’ taxpayer cash
The Victorian authorities has blamed value overruns for the cancellation, claiming the occasion that was initially estimated to value $2 billion, ballooned to $7 billion.
However questions have been raised in regards to the timeline of the federal government’s decision-making, together with when it first realized of the large price range blowouts.
“That is additional proof of how Labor has torched taxpayers’ cash and one more reason why Jacinta Allan wants to seem earlier than the parliamentary inquiry and clarify her function within the Commonwealth Video games debacle,” Opposition Chief John Pesutto mentioned.
A Victorian parliamentary inquiry has been established to research the federal government’s choice to axe the video games.
The higher home inquiry, which is because of start this month, can not power decrease home MPs, together with new Premier Jacinta Allan, to provide proof.
A federal Senate inquiry and the Victorian auditor-general are additionally investigating the cancellation.
The paperwork additionally reveal the federal government paid legal professionals from Frances Godon KC for 16 days in August for his or her “authorized providers concerning withdrawal from internet hosting 2026 Commonwealth Video games” costing taxpayers $19,745.
The Victorian authorities has been contacted for remark.
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