The Pyramids to Sochi - the fatal attraction of the megaproject

Max Walsh, 13 February 2014, The Australian Financial Review (subscription required)

Tony Abbott wants to be the 'infrastructure PM'. He should be wary of the power of ambition when it comes to building monuments. 

It cost the Australian taxpayer $43 million to fund the nation's ill-fated bid to host soccer's 2022 World Cup.

In case you have forgotten, we received only one vote in the final voting result.

The winner was Qatar – a country long on gas, dollars and heat – but historically short on football success.

It may seem that $43 million was an outrageous price to outlay for one vote. It was. But looking at Sochi, and even recalling the cost of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, taxpayers dodged an expensive bullet.

Read the full article: The Pyramids to Sochi – the fatal attraction of the megaproject (subscription required)

infrastructure Olympics Tony Abbott taxpayer Megaprojects

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Max Walsh

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Max Walsh was for many years one of Australia’s top economic and political commentators, highly regarded as a journalist, author and broadcaster. Throughout his career, Max was involved in all dimensions of the media industry, which has encompassed positions with two of Australia’s largest publishing companies and television networks.

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