The editor: Now is the time to be bold and build a future Brisbane deserves

When the Queen’s Wharf precinct opens in just four days’ time, our politicians had better be taking notice and appreciating how a visionary development can transform a city and leave a long-lasting legacy.

When the Queen’s Wharf precinct opens in just four days’ time, our politicians had better be taking notice.

No doubt they will all receive invitations to the grand opening but instead of simply admiring the view from the Sky Deck suspended 100m above the ground, they should be appreciating a view of a different kind – and that is, that a visionary development can transform a city and leave a long-lasting legacy.

Queen’s Wharf was conceived more than a decade ago when, in late 2013, then deputy premier Jeff Seeney announced expressions of interest for the huge inner-city site.

“It has to be able to provide the range of facilities that will attract international visitors and that’s about a number of different quality hotel accommodation options, a number of different entertainment options, a number of conference facilities, all of those sorts of things,” he said at the time.

The Queen’s Wharf development in Brisbane Picture: Supplied by Star Casino

What Queenslanders are about to get, after watching the precinct rise up from the banks of the Brisbane River, certainly hits that mark. When stage one opens on Thursday, we will have a massive event centre – including a 1440-seat ballroom, outdoor terrace and views to the Story Bridge.

A host of dining and hospitality venues will also open as part of the first stage, as will the main casino floor and the Star Grand Hotel.

When all stages are open, there will be 2000 residential apartments and more than 1000 hotel rooms with 50 cafes and bars.

The new 320m Neville Bonner pedestrian-only bridge connecting the South Bank Cultural Centre to the Queen’s Wharf resort’s dining and retail precinct will also be a game-changer and have a substantial impact on the way locals and visitors alike get to enjoy the city.

The Neville Bonner bridge. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

It will be the third riverfront project to have a transformative effect on Brisbane, following the hugely successful South Bank and Howard Smith Wharves precincts.

What they all have in common is that they are bold.

Our politicians need to be bold too. Unfortunately, they seem reluctant to do so – particularly when it comes to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In just eight years time, Queensland will host the world’s biggest sporting event. Surely, there’s no better excuse than that for boldness and politically bravery?

The current state government has been quick to quash any talk of an exciting new venue – despite bold proposals for Victoria Park and Hamilton’s Northshore.

The vision for an Olympic stadium at Hamilton Northshore.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli has also ruled out a new stadium at Victoria Park.

Whoever wins the Queensland election in just two months’ time would do well to gaze up at the impressive Queen’s Wharf precinct and ponder how they can apply the same brave and innovative thinking to the Olympic stadium because soon all eyes will be on Brisbane.

Time will move fast, and so much has already been wasted.

The time to be bold is now.