‘Cuts red tape’: Who gets seat at the table for Brisbane 2032 Games infrastructure oversight revealed

Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended locating the 2032 Games co-ordination office within her Premier’s department, pointing to a Deloitte report that found the arrangement would cut red tape.

• Editor’s view: Co-ordination is key to Games success

Mayors, state and federal ministers will all have a voice at the table for Brisbane 2032 Games’s powerful co-ordination office, which itself will be “accountable to the parliament”, it will be revealed on Tuesday.

It can now be revealed that co-ordination office, and the Olympic infrastructure office, will report to a specially-formed “leaders forum”, made up of representatives from state, federal and local government.

But Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will keep a firm hand on the wheel, chairing the forum, which has oversight of the co-ordination office within her own department.

Also invited to the forum will be two federal ministers, the mayors of Brisbane, Gold and Sunshine Coasts, as well as a representative from the South East Queensland Council of Mayors and Organising Committee for the Olympic Games president Andrew Liveris will join.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Evan Morgan

It is a move to increase transparency just five days after the state government revealed it had walked away from setting up an independent Games infrastructure authority, originally intended to have joint state and federal oversight.

Instead, it pledged to set up the Olympic co-ordination office inside the Premier’s department, with a separate Olympics infrastructure Office, within Deputy Premier Steven Miles’s responsibility.

The co-ordination office will be headed by Regional Development Department director-general Graham Fraine.

Ms Palaszczuk defended locating the co-ordination office within her own department, saying it was more efficient and pointed to a specially commissioned Deloitte report found this arrangement would avoid bureaucratic double-ups and costs.

“It cuts red tape while, at the same time, provides input from all of our Games partners,” she said.

Artist’s impression of the proposed Gabba redevelopment. Picture: Supplied

The co-ordination office will be accountable to the parliament, which an external and independent oversight authority would not, according to the Deloitte report.

It was backed in by International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates, who said the model made sense to him.

“The last thing we should be doing is adding layers of bureaucracy,” Mr Coates said.

“Pleasingly, this model does not.”

Mr Liveris said they will continue to work with all Games Delivery Partners to ensure venues and infrastructure are delivered in line with the commitments to the IOC and to the long-term best interests of the local communities.

“We are pleased the final governance framework will be directed by a Leadership Forum, which includes the Organising Committee, Queensland and Australian Governments and other Games Delivery Partners so that key decision-makers are at the table,” he said.

Paralympics Australia chief executive Catherine Clark. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Paralympics Australia chief executive Catherine Clark said she supported the work that had been done to determine the most appropriate governance model.

“Getting the right structures and ways of working in place is critical to delivering great outcomes for Paralympic sport and for all Australians,” she said.

The Courier-Mail can also confirm the official $7bn funding agreement between the state and federal governments required that both levels of government must be “proportionately and fairly” represented on any overarching governance bodies.

Infrastructure Minister Catherine King’s spokeswoman said agreements for the venues were confirmed through the intergovernmental agreement signed on February 17.

“There are strong assurance mechanisms in place and both governments have agreed to these mechanisms through the Intergovernmental Agreement, including a commitment to demonstrate value for money and optimise delivery on 2032 Games venues projects,” she said.