Committee for Ballarat ‘not listened to’ during games planning

The Committee for Ballarat says it was not listened to by the State Government during planning for the axed regional Victorian Commonwealth Games.

The Government backed out of hosting the event in July, saying costs had ballooned to about $7 billion.

The committee’s Chief Executive, Michael Poulton, says local expertise should have been used.

“We did feel the engagement we had with Government leading up to [the axing], and through some of the key decisions, perhaps wasn’t as best as we felt it might have been,” he said.

“My basic premise was in the regions you’ve got some really good decision makers and some solutions that could be offered from a uniquely Ballarat perspective.”