A top Victorian bureaucrat tasked with organising the 2026 Commonwealth Games raked in more than half a million dollars before the event was cancelled.
More than $10.8 million in taxpayer money was paid to the 75 staff of Victoria 2026, according to the now-abolished organising committee's annual report tabled in state parliament on Wednesday.
Former COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar was chief executive of the committee and ex-president of AFL club Richmond Peggy O'Neal its chair.
A salaries chart for Victoria 2026's senior executives showed one unnamed bureaucrat was paid more than $500,000 across the 2022/23 financial year.
Ten others earned between $300,000 and $419,000.
More than $700,000 was paid to the board of the organising committee, including between $350,000 to $359,999 to one member.
Former premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria was pulling out of hosting the Games across regional areas on July 18, citing the original estimated cost blowing out between $6 billion and $7 billion.
In April, Ms O'Neal wrote to then Games delivery minister and now premier Jacinta Allan after the organising committee formally requested a $722 million boost to its original $1 billion budget.
The sudden cancellation of the Games has spawned a Victorian parliamentary inquiry and auditor-general probe.
The Victorian government in August agreed to pay $380 million in compensation to organisers as part of a settlement.
Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions secretary Tim Ada told the state inquiry last month his department's full Games-related spend was about $200 million, taking the total cost past $580 million.
