Demographer warns Gold Coasters must look beyond their backyards to win Olympic gold

As the Gold Coast races towards the 2032 Olympic Games, what do we need to fix to showcase the best of our city? These are the biggest issues, writes Paul Weston.

Our city is about to take a serious look at its future. The Bulletin in the next week will roll out its Future Gold Coast series, to see how we will change before the 2032 Olympic Games. A key message is for us all to look at the bigger picture – beyond our own backyards.

This leads to the debate on infrastructure needs, the population pressures on the north and south and ultimately to the hot topic of transport and all things tram, train and buses.

Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher, from The Demographer Group, gave an earlier boardroom briefing. It’s a wake-up call to both political leaders and residents.

The bigger picture is seeing the Gold Coast as a critical component of south-east Queensland.

Mr Kuestenmacher says town planners view the Coast as part of a “big ecosystem”.

This encompasses three international airports from our city to the Sunshine Coast and a line he says is drawn somewhere west around Ipswich or Toowoomba.

“This can be by far the most interesting area, region in this country. But the big challenge is that you need to provide very good connectivity between the individual hubs – Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and all the way out to the west,” he says.

Future Gold Coast luncheon at Sea World conference centre. Keynote speaker Simon Kuestenmacher from the Demographics group. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Mr Kuestenmacher estimates the region has 20 years worth of infrastructure backlog.

His warning is the Crisafulli Government has three years to get projects shovel ready or face a “political death sentence”.

“We are right now in a situation where we are fudging around small-scale topics, without insulting anyone who is impacted by this, by the tram line going through the backyard or whatever it is,” he added.

So at its simplest, he’s talking about putting the big meccano set pieces in place.

This means the trams to the airport, full build of the Coomera Connector to Logan and fast rail all the way through to the Brisbane CBD where morning commuters are currently switching to buses as Cross River Rail works continue.

Future Gold Coast: Burleigh Light Rail construction. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

The feedback, without giving away future storylines, shows a consensus about fixing traffic gridlock. There are fears about pause buttons on major projects like the Coomera Hospital being pushed.

Cyclone Alfred remains at the back of mind. The view here is beyond preparing the backyard for a storm but about “climate resilience” for the region.

Perhaps it’s the impact on the beaches or acknowledging the City maturing beyond a boom and bust economy, but there’s strong support for eco-tourism and exploring the hinterland.

Gold Coast light rail to Palm Beach - protest signs outside homes.

There’s a desire for less stormy politics and for governments and oppositions “finding a way of actually getting them working together”.

A leading educator told your columnist: “I think you need to actually forward plan more than your four years in Parliament – whether it’s state or federal elections. I think you need to actually have something that’s a legacy piece and I think infrastructure is the way to go.”

It’s a grown-up view, a longer view of road, rail and tram going far into the distance.

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Originally published as Demographer warns Gold Coasters must look beyond their backyards to win Olympic gold