State governments are experts at dodgy accounting, and Victoria is notorious for its “economic benefit” figures released after each major event to justify massive taxpayer subsidies. But Sports Minister James Merlino has brilliantly applied his dodgy accounting skills to a new set of numbers: FINA world swimming championships attendance figures.

Mr Merlino reckons that the total attendance over the course of the event was 219,000, indicating a FINA world record. “We set ourselves the target of beating the record set in Barcelona in 2003 and we achieved that,” he said. However, that figure includes — wait for it — athletes, coaches, media and volunteers. What a joke.

The real attendance total (paying spectators, that is) was a paltry 162,000. In comparison, last week’s eight-game AFL round had a total attendance of 364,544 (364,848 if you count players and coaches.)

It’s time the Bracks government got over its ridiculous addiction to major events of dubious value and reallocated the millions of dollars in donations it gives them to areas of actual importance. Let’s start with education.