Home » Politics » Walsh laments Commonwealth Games loss

Walsh laments Commonwealth Games loss

PREMIER Jacinta Allan should put Elton John on her playlist, says Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh.

It comes as Mr Walsh spoke in Parliament on Wednesday about the money the Victorian State Government paid not to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

“It is hard to look my constituents in the face day in, day out, and try to explain to them why the Labor government cannot repair our appalling roads, provide them with a roof over their head or have more medical services available and better schools,” he said.

“As Elton John sang, sorry is the hardest word to say.

“Perhaps the Premier should put that song on her playlist.”

Mr Walsh said he was forced to put aside the government’s “lies about the $2.6 billion Commonwealth Games”, and the millions it was going to spend building much-needed regional sporting infrastructure.

“But I cannot put aside the almost $600 million those mistruths have cost us in helping Glasgow stage the Commonwealth Games in 2026, money straight off our bottom line and money adding to our already crippling debt.”

He said it was money his electorate would have welcomed for capital projects.

“Money which in my electorate alone would have paid for the new Swan Hill bridge and been more than enough to finish the Swan Hill hospital rebuild,” Mr Walsh said.

Digital Editions


  • Heat catches cricket out

    Heat catches cricket out

    Scorching temperatures have forced the Swan Hill & District Cricket Association to make an early and unprecedented decision on this weekend’s round of matches, with…

More News

  • Progress in Koondrook forest

    Progress in Koondrook forest

    THE Federal and NSW State Governments have spruiked the benefits of further progress in the Koondrook-Perricoota Forest, as part of the Murray Darling Basin Plan’s Sustainable Diversion Limit Adjustment Mechanism…

  • Ashes to Aussie

    Ashes to Aussie

    DAVID Jones has lived in Victoria for more than four decades, and when asked what finally drove him to becoming an Australian citizen the Kerang resident had a simple -…

  • Hard work, faith and family

    Hard work, faith and family

    BECOMING an Australian citizen for Unaisi Sikinairai has been a journey defined by hard work, faith and participation in the community. The 67-year-old arrived in Australia from Fiji on January…

  • Free books for children

    Free books for children

    PREP students will receive free bags filled with books and learning activities to encourage a lifelong love of reading, said the State Government. The Prep bags feature five high-quality children’s…

  • Millions lost to scams in late 2025

    Millions lost to scams in late 2025

    DATA from the Consumer Action Law Centre shows Australians are still losing millions to scammers, with devastating and long-lasting consequences. In the final three months of 2025, people who contacted…

  • Triton back in work gear

    Triton back in work gear

    BACK in the day, most utes lived up their ‘utility’ tag, being up for almost anything. Since then, the tradies’ favoured transport has morphed into a cohort of shiny, lumbering…

  • Summer heats up

    Summer heats up

    THE Australian summer is undergoing a “total transformation” as scientists warn climate change made a recent blistering heatwave five times more likely. Australia’s southern states sweltered during early-January through the…

  • Slow down around schools, police urge

    Slow down around schools, police urge

    GANNAWARRA motorists have been reminded to slow down and take extra care around school zones with Victorian students returning this week. It follows a devastating number of pedestrian fatalities in…

  • Keep your pets cool and safe this summer

    Keep your pets cool and safe this summer

    OUR pets feel extreme weather just like we do, and they need a place of shelter for their health and well being. With the extreme heat we are currently experiencing,…

  • The song remains the same

    The song remains the same

    ALREADY long in the tooth, Nissan’s second fully electric vehicle Ariya takes up where the LEAF left off in Australia. And might we just say thank goodness for that, because…