Advertisement

Business wants SEQ City Deal as first stop on road to 2032 Olympics

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who has made herself Queensland’s new Olympics Minister, will be presented with a proposed roadmap of policy changes and initiatives to support as Brisbane starts on the journey of hosting the 2032 Games.

Oct 08, 2021, updated Oct 08, 2021
A pedestrian plaza would link a refurbished Gabba stadium to South Bank and the Cross River Rail network (Pic: Supplied)

A pedestrian plaza would link a refurbished Gabba stadium to South Bank and the Cross River Rail network (Pic: Supplied)

From imposing a deadline on finalising the politically fraught SEQ City Deal to promoting a “zero waste” Ashes Test at the Gabba, Brisbane businesses are pushing for government at all levels to embrace policy reform in the run up to the Olympics.

Business lobby the Committee for Brisbane has released a range of ideas and actions aimed at ensuring the state benefits as much as possible from the transport, communications and social legacy the Olympics will provide.

The group’s release of its latest plan coincides with the premier’s move to appoint her self as Olympics Minister, with Deputy Premier Steven Miles adding Olympics infrastructure to his portfolio and Sports Minister Stirling Hinchliffe to assist Palaszczuk on Olympics and Paralympics sport and engagement.

It also came as Brisbane turned out for a Welcome Home event for Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Athletes at King George Square.

Milestones on the Committee for Brisbane’s roadmap to 2032 include ensuring the City Deal – with its pipeline of major infrastructure projects backed by Commonwealth and State funding commitments – is finally agreed by next year.

The future of the deal has recently been put in doubt by political squabbling between the state and federal governments over funding formulas.

Committee for Brisbane chief executive Barton Green said the potential legacies were developed to help inspire bigger thinking about the “what ifs” for south-east Queensland.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver long-term economic, social and environmental legacies for south east Queensland that can be initiated or accelerated by hosting the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.

“For the past few months, more than 100 of Brisbane’s brightest, most innovative and enthusiastic business people, from across a wide range of disciplines, have contributed their aspirations for the city and region to a roadmap of potential legacies.”

“We hope these ideas will invite governments and the community into further consideration – they are not put up as recommendations to government, but rather ideas for discussion, and hopefully adoption.”

The group has also gotten on board the push for an “SEQ Commission” to be established to ensure coordination between the three levels of government and industry in managing the region’s exploring population growth.

InQueensland in your inbox. The best local news every workday at lunch time.
By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement andPrivacy Policy & Cookie Statement. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Other proposals include establishing free and secure WiFi in public spaces and public transport, across the region and a commitment to requiring seeming giants like Netflix to spend at least 10 per cent of their new commissions on Australian content.

The group has also proposed a review the state’s school curriculum to include First Nations voices, history and culture, including teaching and understanding the Uluru Statement from the Heart and to start a permanent program of Elders in classrooms.

Palaszczuk has said the legislation that will establish the organising committee fo the Olympics and Paralympics will be introduced into state parliament within weeks.

 

Local News Matters
Advertisement
Copyright © 2024 InQueensland.
All rights reserved.
Privacy Policy