Zempilas lobbies hard for Commonwealth Games bid

Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas wants Perth to throw its hat in the ring for the now-hostless 2026 Commonwealth Games, advocating that Western Australia has the financial muscle and leverage to do so.

Mr Zempilas, who has long-advocated that Perth should hold a sporting event of international scale, said it would be an opportunity 'walked out the door' if WA didn't make a bid for it. 

A shadow of uncertainity has been cast over the quadrennial sporting event after Victoria announced a shock decision this morning to pull the pin on hosting the games three years out from its opening, after costs blew out by billions of dollars. 

Premier Roger Cook has maintained the stance of his predecessor Mark McGowan saying that WA would not be putting its hand up to host the event. 

He told media on Tuesday morning that there would be a significant cost with little return on investment. 

Mr Zempilas was quick to make public his opposing view, telling media this morning that it was 'easy' to list reasons why Perth shouldn't be host. 

He argued that Perth would have the leverage to make its own bid for the games on its own terms. 

"This is a market for the host city to go to the Federation and say 'here are our venues, here’s what we can spend, you make the commonwealth games fit around us'." he told media. 

"To not even be entering into that conversation, to not even be exploring those possibilies I think is really disappointing and I think it lets the people of Western Australia down."

The last time Perth hosted the event was in 1962, when it was then known as the British Empire and Commonwealth Games.

He argued that Perth already had enough sporting venues, citing the likes of Optus Stadium and the Curtin Hockey Stadium, to accommodate.

He also suggested that the Bullsbrook facility that had been built as a quarantine venue for the pandemic, but was not completed in time, could be used to house interstate workers. 

"We are in a very strong financial position, we can afford to host the Commonwealth Games and we can particualrly afford to host this Commonwealth Cames because they can be delivered on the terms that we demand."

Mr Zempilas also pushed back against suggestions by the premier that likened events such as the Commonwealth Games as a 'sugar hit'. 

“I note that the Premier and many ministers are often out celebrating one-off sporting events... that’s what a sugar hit is.

"Anyone that uses that language doesn’t understand what a commonwealth games delivers for a city."

City of Perth Councillor and 2023 mayoral candidate Sandy Anghie backed the Victorian government's decision to pull the pin on the event. 

"I want to work with the state government to make Perth a truly world class liveable city, not run a twelve day sporting event."

Ms Anghie formally announced in May that she would be gunning for the role against fellow council member and incumbent Mr Zempilas.

The state government today announced Perth would be hosting the World Rugby Seven series in 2024 and 2025.