Brisbane must improve accessibility ahead of 2032 Games

After a mistake with the naming of her Olympics ministerial title, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk must act quickly to respond to the concerns about Brisbane’s ‘woeful’ lack of accessibility ahead of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

There is little doubt that being exposed for taking far too long to add the word “Paralympics” to her title of Olympics Minister has been an embarrassment for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

There is therefore also little doubt that the Premier – who was minister for disability services in the Bligh government – will be desperately seeking ways to prove her ongoing commitment to supporting those in our community with a disability.

The Premier would do well, then, to read our coverage today of the reality of Brisbane – a future Paralympics host – as an accessible city. It does not make good reading. But out of every crisis there comes opportunity, and so it could be here.

As we report today, disability advocates say that fixing Brisbane’s woeful lack of accessibility will take every second of the nine years and nine months we have left before the 2032 Paralympics.

Beyond a serious problem with disability access to those Paralympic venues that already exist, the city itself is a mess when it comes to accessibility – with even our biggest magnets for people like the shopping precinct in the Queen Street Mall or the party district in Fortitude Valley a massive challenge to get around if you are in a wheelchair, like Todd Winther. He says Brisbane’s narrow pathways are filled with potholes and that public transport is “risky” – and he asks: “If places like the Valley and the City still aren’t accessible by then, what does that say about our city? But if they want to fix it for the Paralympic Games, time is really running out.”

Hosting the Games in Brisbane now would “cause mayhem”, according to Youngcare. The Premier cannot ignore this reality.

Karni Lidell’s experience at Kangaroo Point shows it is not just Olympic venues and facilities that need to be made accessible. Picture: David Clark

But the good news is that experts say Brisbane is in a better position than most cities to become a world leader in accessibility.

On the venues, experts believe retro-fitting existing facilities ahead of the Games will be considerably easier than in cities like Paris, because Brisbane is relatively modern and small by international standards. But it will still be a challenge, because as anyone who has renovated a home knows, sometimes it’s easier to rebuild.

Of the 37 competition venues required for hosting the 2032 Games, only six new ones will be built specifically. Of the remaining 31, eight will involve the upgrading of existing facilities and 23 will involve either existing facilities or ones temporarily built for the Games. Now, the Queensland government has already done the right thing and adopted inclusive design principles for new facilities, but it will still need to substantially modify existing facilities to reach the rigorous standards required by the International Olympic Committee. We suggest that those standards also be applied to anything built via a state government contract.

But this challenge is far bigger than venues, and the government should listen carefully to those who live this challenge every day – to advocates such as Paralympic medallist Karni Liddell, who suggests that a person in a wheelchair be involved in every single Games decision: “Everything from now until then has to have someone with an electric wheelchair involved. Don’t follow architects, don’t follow the standards – you need to have someone in a wheelchair at all times.” We agree. That is an idea that just seems like common sense. Over to you, Premier.

PLENTY OF ACTION AHEAD FOR CRICKET FANS

Australia’s international cricket season has just had the best entree possible, with the T20 World Cup capturing the imagination of fans from all over the globe.

The only problem was, Aussie fans were left cold following a rather insipid performance on the big stage.

But as we report in our 16-page season liftout today, there is plenty more for cricket fans to look forward to, with men’s Test series against the West Indies and South Africa, women’s one-dayers against Pakistan and T20s against India, plus the Big Bash and plenty of other action. And of course there’s Big Bash SuperCoach so everyone can be part of the action.

For the men’s Test team under Pat Cummins, there will be a battle to win back the fans after the T20 World Cup flop, and lingering bitterness at the departure of former coach Justin Langer at the end of last summer.

But there’s one sure way to get the fans back – to win. And then to take that form to England for the Ashes series that starts on June 16.