While the decision by the Premier of Victoria Dictator Dan Andrews to scrap the 2026 Commonwealth Games is extraordinary, it is also in one sense unsurprising.

Because that’s the way Dan Andrews runs his state, with policy on a whim according to the mood of the all-powerful Premier.

It’s only a year ago that Andrews announced that the Games would be held in Regional Victoria, that the cost would be $2.5 billion and that the benefits to the state would be considerable.

Twelve months later he claims that cost is now as high as $7 billion and no longer viable. Many authoritative commentators have dismissed the $7 billion figure as fanciful and plain dishonest.

The reality is that Victoria’s finances, under the leadership of Dictator Dan, are in disarray and it’s struggling to pay its bills and fund essential infrastructure – always remembering that under his guidance Melbourne became the world’s most locked-down city during Covid – and now Regional Victoria is paying the price.