THE 2026 Commonwealth Games should not only be about sport, but also for Ballarat's socially diverse community, says the Ballarat Foundation.
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The call comes as many of this city's games organisers including tourist bodies, traditional owners, educational institutions and council representatives such as mayor Daniel Moloney and chief executive Evan King, took part in a Commonwealth Games forum held at the MCG on Thursday which discussed the take-outs from the recent Birmingham games.
However, there were no timeframes given as to when sports, or infrastructure projects, would be announced.
What was discussed were ways in which to incorporate traditional owners and socially diverse communities into the games in programs such as volunteering and employment opportunities.
Ballarat Foundation chief executive Andrew Eales said there were a host of possibilities for community groups to be part of the games legacy.
"We know there is going to be a significant volunteer core that is going to be required to support not only the events themselves but also the movement of people around the community," Mr Eales said.
"This is a massive exercise that is going to require a large number of people and we think that the Commonwealth Games will be a great opportunity to encourage people that may have been a little bit reluctant to volunteer given all we've been through in the past couple of years.
"To be part of something as significant as the Commonwealth Games presents the community with an opportunity to think about what you can do to support a better community, a more engaged community, a community that works together and volunteering is central to all that. It should be a celebration of community."
Mr Eales met with the Commonwealth Games Legacy Minister Shaun Leane earlier this week to discuss ways in which the community could benefit long-term from the event. "From our perspective we are already encouraged that the state government is already engaging with local people around how we can create a great legacy for Ballarat that goes beyond the sporting realm," he said.
"We are really encouraged by the approach of the government four years out that they are already talking about this.
"One of the things I'm really keen to see is in terms of creating great social change, I think the Commonwealth Games present a great opportunity for people visiting our city and paying to see a sporting event, so what if we had an option that people contribute to the legacy of Ballarat?
"Maybe part of the ticket price gets utilised to create a pool of funds for everyone who buys a ticket? That can perhaps provide some funds so that the work can be done to lift up everyone in Ballarat."
Wendouree MP Juliana Addison, who was one of about 150 people who attended the forum on Thursday, said the focus of the forum was to discuss how the stories of each region could be told.
She and Mr Leane spoke with a number of organisations including McCallum Disability Services, A Pot of Courage, BGT (Ballarat Group Training) and others about including them at the table.
"We talked with them about how they can be part of these games..." Ms Addison said.
"For example, could there be a role for McCallum and others who are involved in the process of putting the games on? Is there a way of getting local social enterprises paid work to be involved in the games in some form?"
Sovereign Hill chief executive Sara Quon, who was also at the forum, said tourist bodies would have an important role to play.
"There was a really strong mention of the importance of a cultural program and making sure that program is a celebration of all the hubs," she said. "I think there's a lot of energy behind it; it's just about making sure we are planning early and I've got full faith the collaboration that we will see in Ballarat is really phenomenal."
Minister for Commonwealth Games Delivery Jacinta Allan said the games would bring together regional partners and it was key to the success of this global event.
"First Peoples were at the heart of the Birmingham Handover Ceremony and we'll continue to work with Victoria's First Peoples to embed Aboriginal culture, heritage and stories in the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games," she said.
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