Revealed: Why Coast will get more gold from Olympics funding spend than Brisbane in lead up to 2032 Games

Read our exclusive interview with Mayor Tom Tate on how the Coast will get gold from major projects and sports in lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

THE Bulletin as part of the Futures series, in an exclusive interview with Mayor Tom Tate, reveal the road map ahead for the city leading up to the 2032 Olympic Games.

Gold Coast winner — Michael Shelley passes Callum Hawkins of Scotland as he collapses after being in the lead of the Men's Marathon Final at the Commonwealth Games. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy)

BEING A POWER PLAYER AT THE ORGANISING COMMITTEE TABLE

Bulletin: Legislation will go before the Parliament in November to create a 22-member 2032 organising committee. The Gold Coast is a co-host, but there were concerns about getting a position because of a gender quota. What is happening there? Will you get a seat?

Mayor Tom Tate: I’ve made my point clear about the make-up of the committee. I remain confident our city will have a seat given our co-host status. I would accept that board position so let’s see what plays out before the end of this calendar year.

Bulletin: The Gold Coast hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2018; it was a great success. How much influence can the city have at the Olympics table, can we get some wins here due to the facilities already in the city and our knowledge of running major events? Is this going to be just a Brisbane and Sunshine Coast show?

Flashback — the first of the Commonwealth Games facilities being opened. Photo: David Clark.

Mayor Tate: We wouldn’t even have had a shot at the 2032 Olympics if our city didn’t put on such a superb 2018 Commonwealth Games. Some critics may question that but it’s a fact. Obviously, we are Games-ready now in so many ways – from venues to our volunteers, our evolving public transport systems, our new international airport and the multi-billion-dollar investment going into high-end hotel and resort accommodation. If it is to be a true SEQ regional games, our city must feature prominently behind Brisbane.

THE BATTLE WITH BRISBANE AND SUNSHINE COAST FOR EVENTS

Bulletin: Is there still time to debate and negotiate the events? Behind the scenes, suggestion is the Gold Coast has lost the golf and the marathon. We have beach volleyball, the triathlon and the swim and some soccer. Could we still get other events?

Mayor Tate: I will never stop bidding for signature sports events. Once I have a position on the board, I will be actively working for more sports for our city and, equally, for more pre-Games sporting events and trials for our city. Some of these will occur years before 2032 and may be major athletics, BMX, golf or gymnastics events. Further, I will be looking to coordinate a month-long arts, culture and music festival for our city, wrapped around the Olympics dates. We did this successfully through Festival 2018 and this resulted in new and emerging businesses starting in our city, or relocating here.

Bulletin: Has the Gold Coast City Council got a monetary value, ballpark figure, on what the Games could mean in terms of added infrastructure and tourism?

Mayor Tate: Not at this stage but with the right marketing of our city on the correct social and community channels come 2032, there is no doubt the exposure for our city will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Social media and the way people receive information a decade from now won’t even resemble how we communicate today. The sky is the limit – literally.

Bulletin: The Games village Robina. Where is the planning at? What will be the benefits from building the village, the possible legacy? What will be council’s role?

Mayor Tate: The site is under state legislation at Robina so the approvals will be largely state driven. Council’s role will be as a referral agency. My message remains the same: I expect a quality design and construction for this village as it needs to fit into the world-class city we are becoming. The village must be of such a standard that people will want to buy, live, relax and retire there after the Games have long gone. Equally, we will be calling on the state to ensure the feeder roads, cycleways and community space around the village is all upgraded to accommodate for this additional population – both before the Games and after.

Plans for the Coomera Connector near The Shores at Helensvale.

ROADS, RAIL AND ATTRACTIONS IN 2032

Bulletin: There is a lot of talk in the business world about a boutique stadium for the city. The Bulletin has obtained renders of what this would look like. The idea being the city could host sporting events and concerts, providing indoor coverage. Coast residents would not need to go to Brisbane to see a visiting artist. How realistic is this, that we could have it before the Games? Would council contribute to funding?

Mayor Tate: We are actively talking about this concept with several parties. I’m confident it will be built well before the 2032 Games and I will be asking that it is included in the Games-venue mix which will hopefully improve my discussions with the board about securing more sports and events for our city as part of the Games.

Council’s final investment will depend on where the boutique stadium is finally built. Once we have more detail, I will bring it back to full council for their consideration. This will happen in the first quarter of 2022.

Bulletin: What do you think are at the top of the wishlist for projects that can be secured in the lead-up to the Games? Is the Coomera Connector at the top and tram extension to the airport? Do you think the first stage of the second M1 can be delivered, and what about the extension of the trams?

Mayor Tate: The Coomera Connector must be built – that is a non-negotiable. Similarly, the final stage (Stage 4) of the light rail needs to be built all the way to the airport and on to Coolangatta.

My priority list is: Coomera Connector; M1 exit/entry upgrades completed (particularly 41 and 49); light rail to the airport; increased heavy rail frequency based off the Cross River Rail project; heavy rail from Varsity to the airport; and improved superyacht berthing and processing facilities.

Bulletin: To meet the timetable for the trams to get to the airport, does the work have to start immediately after the Broadbeach to Burleigh section is completed? Are you talking to the state government and Commonwealth about this? Is your plan to get a commitment by a certain date on a funding deal?

Mayor Tate: Yes and yes. Realistically, the major components of the final stage (bridges and wildlife corridor) should be put to tender while Stage 3 is underway. It is never cheaper to build something tomorrow, than it is today. We can get to the airport by the end of this decade if we do Stage 4 in this manner. Our council is ready to commit to its funding percentage, as per the previous stages.

Bulletin: With the Coomera Connector, it is obvious the Department of Transport and Main Roads expects the council to do the heavy lifting in terms of funding link roads. How reasonable is this? How can council, with a much smaller budget, say upgrade Helensvale Road and intersections? Will you talk to Transport Minister Mark Bailey about this?

Mayor Tate: I speak with the Transport Minister regularly and he fully understands that council will upgrade our local roads to meet this exciting new project. Ratepayers shouldn’t, and won’t, fund state exit/entry ways to state/federal roads. I’m confident the Minister will leverage funding from the federal government for this vital project. So to be clear, council will upgrade/build local roads that feed into the major state entry/exit points and we will coordinate this work so the delays from roadworks only occur once. Motorists get upset when they see one road project completed only for another one to start right beside it a few weeks later. A seamless approach is the only approach.

Bulletin: On transport, is it correct that council has had to rethink its transport strategy due to the budgeting of these link roads? What is happening with that?

Mayor Tate: No. Given the city’s one million population target is likely to be reached around 2036 (instead of 2041) we are rethinking our entire transport strategy. Smart councils stay ahead of the curve when it comes to population pressures so we will keep the major components of our existing strategy (light rail, active travel, cycleways etc) but re-examine how new modes of transport (hydro/electric/ferries etc) can assist with our overall transport planning.

Bulletin: How critical is it for the trams to get to the airport? Would this mean more Olympic fans stay on the Gold Coast? We have a lot of the accommodation compared to Brisbane.

Mayor Tate: It is vital, not just for our Olympic visitors but our entire public transport strategy going into this century. I encourage people to look at light rail as our “transport spine”. From that, we will have high-speed, reliable east-west connectors feeding off light rail in the next few years. I expect once this happens, people will really start to see the benefit of being able to do one mode change (from light rail to the relevant east-west connector) and not rely on their cars as much as they do today.

Coast transport under pressure — the M1 traffic southbound at Helensvale at 4:30pm. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT.

Bulletin: A recent transport briefing to councillors revealed there was strong support for heavy rail to go to the border. Support both for trams and trains. And officers indicated studies were continuing on the corridor south from Varsity? Are you confident about the trains going further south?

Mayor Tate: Yes and I know the state government has the gazetted route to achieve this.

KICKING COVID TO THE KERB

Bulletin: You are a strong supporter of tourism and international students staying here. But with Covid, what is the reality? When do you see a real recovery? When will the airport return to pre-Covid levels, and when will we start getting more students back here? What are you being told by leaders in those industries? What will council do in that space?

Reunions at the Gold Coast Airport as Trans Tasman bubble officially opens and new flights take off. The Gracie Family from Auckland celebrate arriving on the first Air New Zealand flight from Auckland. they are Alex and Mark Gracie with children Marcella 6 and Angus 4. Picture Glenn Hampson,

Mayor Tate: We have invested $10m (over four years) into Study Gold Coast and a recent briefing from their CEO confirmed that international students will start returning from January next year. StudyGC is working with state and federal officials as to how these students will quarantine when they arrive. Clearly, we want it to be as seamless as possible and we will know more in the next few weeks. From a broader tourism perspective, I am confident the Premier will honour her December 17 opening date. As the former chief health officer has stated on several occasions, “we must learn to live with Covid’’. Dr Jeannette Young has further confirmed “this is a disease of the unvaccinated’’. Realistically, unless someone has a medical reason to not get vaccinated, they should do so immediately. When Covid crosses the border, it will be the unvaccinated that make up the overwhelming majority of hospital (and ICU) admissions. From a national/international tourism perspective, I support the Covid passport approach and believe we will see a significant return of international tourism by mid-2022. Domestically, I can see a huge upswing in returning domestic visitors this summer.

Bulletin: How do you see the Gold Coast rebranding itself post-Covid, once borders are no longer closed?

Mayor Tate: As a safe, lifestyle destination as that is the truth. We have not had a single community-to-community transmission since August 2020. Destination Gold Coast is undertaking direct campaign marketing into Tasmania and other states right now. Travel websites are reporting that the Gold Coast is the No.1 place of choice for Aussies seeking a holiday. We are also seeing record intrastate and interstate migration from people fleeing Covid lockdown cities for good. This will bolster our small businesses and keep our real estate and commercial markets brimming with confidence into 2022.

Mayor Tom Tate — we are lobbying for new major events for the city. Pic Mike Batterham.

Bulletin: Do you think it will be major events that lead to a return of tourists, more business tourism with conferences? The state seems focused on the convention market. What new major events should the Coast be targeting?

Mayor Tate: We are targeting a range of major music, conference and festival-style events. Major Events Gold Coast has a full book of projects it is working on for 2022 and beyond. Clearly, we can’t announce them until the ink is dry on the contracts.

Originally published as Revealed: Why Coast will get more gold from Olympics funding spend than Brisbane in lead up to 2032 Games