July 14, 2026 — 5:00amJacinta Allan’s government blind spot when it comes to the Commonwealth Games continues, with no plans to show events on the big screen at Federation Square.Victoria has contributed $200 million to the hosting of an “innovative, cost-effective and sustainable” Games in Glasgow, which was drawn from the $380 million compensation the state had to cough up to the Commonwealth Games ruling bodies in 2023. This came as a result of then-premier Daniel Andrews tearing up the deal to stage the 2026 edition of the sporting knees-up.You bet it is cost-effective for Scotland when a couple of hundred million bucks is tipped in from Down Under!Premier Jacinta Allan.AAPRecently, Fed Square hosted live sites for the Socceroos’ World Cup matches and even a live watch party for the final of Eurovision – but the Commonwealth Games won’t be getting a run.Curious to see what bang for bucks the state will be getting from its investment in Glasgow, CBD checked with Visit Victoria to see if any marketing or signage would be rolled out and if anyone from the organisation would be attending. Short answer – no.And what of the Australian Diamonds netball team, who are the defending gold medallists? Victoria is a major partner of the team after the government announced in 2022 it would tip $15 million into the squad over five years, so would Sports Minister Steve Dimopoulos push for the Diamonds to get some Fed Square live site love? Seems not.Sports Minister Steve DimopoulosGetty ImagesCBD’s individual Games-related inquiries to Visit Victoria, the Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation (which runs Federation Square), and Dimopoulos’ office were all addressed via a one line response from the office of the premier: “We will be cheering on our athletes from Victoria as we continue to focus on new solutions to make people’s lives easier, safer and more affordable” – attributable to a government spokesperson.In fairness, the time difference between Glasgow and Melbourne means the evening finals for key events will take place between 4am and 8am Melbourne time – not ideal – and there were no government-funded live sites in Melbourne in 2022 when the Games were held in Birmingham.But it is hard to escape the notion that our Spring Street leaders (remember no government ministers are attending) will be pretty happy when the Games, which run from July 23 to August 2, are done and dusted.Hinch’s life to be celebrated in MelbourneMedia legend Derryn Hinch will be farewelled with a celebration of his life at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne on Monday, July 20.Hinch, 82, died at his St Kilda Road apartment on Friday. While his health had been in decline, his death was unexpected.Derryn Hinch passed away on July 10, 2026. Justin McManusHinch lived an enormous life filled with endless ups and downs, wins and losses. He was a do-er who had a crack and found success in radio, TV, newspapers and politics. He ruffled feathers, but he made his mark.Hinch’s farewell will be MCed by 3AW presenter Darren James, as per the Human Headline’s wishes.Stage star Rhonda Burchmore, Nikki Nicholls and Peter Sullivan will each perform a number at the farewell, while Hinch’s god-daughter, Ellie O’Connell, will sing a Hawaiian version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Hinch frequently holidayed in Hawaii during his halcyon days and owned a property there for about nine years.Singer Bob Valentine will perform Hinch’s famed theme song, That’s Life – no event about Hinch would be complete without that song being played.Among those expected to pay tribute to Hinch on the day are his former radio foe, Neil Mitchell, his close friend, Dermot O’Brien, and former 3AW identities Denis O’Kane and Tony Tardio.Meanwhile, Hinch’s former wife, Academy Award-nominated actor Jacki Weaver, arrived in Melbourne on Friday and spent the weekend supporting another long-time friend of Hinch, Annette Philpott, and her daughters, Simone and Ellie, before flying out on Monday morning.Gamble responsibly? Sportsbet’s hospitality proves irresistible for this Labor MPThe Albanese government’s languid gambling advertising reforms don’t have many fans. But it would appear that not even the overwhelming community support for a crackdown on gambling ads has been enough for Labor MPs to resist the hospitality of one of the nation’s dominant gambling companies.As first reported by CBD earlier this month, Labor’s member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, and his wife, Alex, attended the Midwinter Ball in Canberra as guests of Sportsbet.Federal member for Hunter Dan Repacholi and his wife, Alex, at the McKinnon Prize event in Canberra in June.Sydney Morning HeraldAt the time, we were so stunned by the move that part of us wondered if our sources were wrong. But on Friday, Repacholi confirmed his witlessness to the Parliamentary Register of Interests, where he disclosed two Midwinter Ball tickets courtesy of Sportsbet.We tried asking Repacholi’s office why he had accepted the offer, or whether the government’s proposed gambling ad reforms had been discussed over dinner, but it was crickets. No word either on whether Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was alerted to the Sportsbet seance ahead of time. The PM’s office didn’t get back to us by deadline.Sportsbet’s hospitality has long proved irresistible to members of the government. Just ask Attorney-General Michelle Rowland who, as communications minister, faced calls to resign her portfolio after it emerged she’d accepted $19,000 in donations from the company on the eve of the 2022 election. But at the ball, Rowland was a guest of lobby group Free TV, the attorney-general disclosed last week.The trickle of Midwinter Ball disclosures that have come in the weeks since Canberra’s night of nights otherwise didn’t contain many surprises. Teal MP Allegra Spender went along courtesy of the big four consulting firm, EY, and in her disclosure noted that she’d made a $200 donation to the ball’s supported charities, “equivalent to the cost of an MP ticket”.Former Nationals leader Michael McCormack and Environment Minister Murray Watt both went along as guests of Sky News, while Labor MP Susan Templeman was a guest of Foxtel, Health Minister Mark Butler went as a guest of The Australian, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher went with The Canberra Times, and Liberal senator James Paterson was a guest of News Corp.Deputy Opposition Leader Jane Hume and Labor’s Josh Burns, meanwhile, sat with our Sydney Morning Herald and Age colleagues, along with Andrew Hastie, Zali Steggall and her husband, and the Japanese ambassador, Kazuhiro Suzuki.Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.John Buckley is a CBD columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.From our partners