Editorial: Leaders failing Qld with each passing day of Paris Games

Steven Miles and David Crisafulli should call each other and agree to put the future of Queensland ahead of what is an unnecessary political standoff, writes the editor.

Forget thought bubbles about state-funded petrol stations and pledges with little detail about making kid criminals serve adult time for adult crime – what our political leaders should be focusing on right now is how to parlay positive sentiment for the Paris Games into solid support among Queenslanders for our own Olympics and Paralympics in 2032.

By refusing to engage on the big question for our Games – the need for a new or upgraded oval stadium in Brisbane capable of hosting the athletics events – because they fear a political backlash if they do, the Premier and his LNP alternative have so far failed Queenslanders.

They have turned what should be a moment of great pride and sense of opportunity for our state into a standoff in which neither side is willing to blink. But with the Games in Paris under way, Queenslanders are getting a taste of what is coming to a street and stadium near them – and in just a few years from now: literally the greatest show on earth.

In eight years from today, pretty well everyone in the world would have spent at least a few minutes watching events taking place across South East Queensland – a veritable showcase of our beautiful state to almost every single living human.

The French have made the most of this chance to show off the beauty of the built environment of their extraordinary capital city, even putting at risk the health of the world’s best triathletes by making them swim the polluted waters of the River Seine so that the cycling and running legs could feature Parisienne landmarks.

When it comes Queensland’s time to shine, it will be our natural environment that will take centre stage – from the beaches of the Gold and Sunshine Coast to the beauty of Moreton Bay, and even our inner city with its modern skyscrapers emerging dramatically from the mangrove-lined curves of the river.

Athletes swimming in the Seine during the mixed relay triathlon. Picture: Julien De Rosa/AFP

It will be a remarkable time, a few magical weeks when we will all be filled to the brim with genuine pride for our state and our city – it will bring us together like nothing we have ever before experienced; the parochial pride of State of Origin time, multiplied by a thousand.

The last thing we will want is to be embarrassed. But tragically, we are at a very real risk of that.

The current plan for the venue of the athletics events – those now on show in the 80,000-capacity Stade de France – is to build a few new temporary grandstands at the old QEII Stadium site at Nathan in the southern suburbs. It would be the smallest Olympic main stadium since the 1928 Amsterdam Games. It is a decision that has been made because of the politics of spending (already budgeted) money on a stadium during a cost-of-living crisis.

This decision must be reversed, but the sad likelihood is that the political standoff between Premier Steven Miles and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli means any rethink will not come before the October 26 election – if at all.

But as Australian Grand Prix Corporation chief executive Travis Auld warned at a business lunch in Brisbane yesterday, the clock is ticking. Asked what he would be doing right now if he was the one making the calls about venues for Brisbane 2032, Mr Auld said: “I would be making some decisions. These things are closer than you think. These infrastructure decisions have some pretty big lead times so they need to start working that out. I think it’s stuck in the middle of something else (election-year politics) at the moment and that’s got to be put to one side.”

We could not agree more. The success and popularity of these Paris Games should be a gift for Mr Miles and Mr Crisafulli, who really should call each other and agree to put the future of Queensland ahead of what is an unnecessary political standoff over the biggest thing that will ever happen to our state in terms of international exposure.

PET DUCK PLAN A GIFT FOR ALL OF US

While having appropriate venues is critical to the success of every single Olympic and Paralympic Games, it is the stories of the athletes that add the beautiful human texture that make these events so memorable.

Enter Arisa Trew, the 14-year old skateboarder from Queensland who early yesterday became our nation’s youngest ever Olympic champion – and, remarkably, the eighth youngest of all time.

Trew showed maturity beyond her years to calm her nerves and deliver a gold medal-winning run on her third and final attempt in the women’s skateboarding park final.

But the Gold Coaster who was born in Cairns then showed she is still just a 14-year old girl when in an interview after her win she revealed what her real motivation had been.

“The gift I asked for from my parents if I, like, won was if I could get a pet duck because ducks are really cute and I really wanted a pet duck,” Trew said. “My dad’s been, like, saying yes this whole time, but my mum was saying no – but then, like, I said: if I did win, could a get a pet duck? And she said yes!

“I’m going to take the duck to the skate park and take it on walks.”

We absolutely love it. A quack-up!

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here