Southeast Queensland backs Olympic bid in hope of fast-tracking infrastructure

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders are backing an Olympic Games bid as a means of accelerating badly-needed new transport, sports facilities and other projects.

Southeast Queenslanders would support an Olympics bid as a way to hasten infrastructure projects.

SOUTHEAST Queenslanders are backing an Olympic Games bid as a means of accelerating badly-needed new transport, sports facilities and other projects.

An exclusive poll commissioned for The Courier-Mail’s Future SEQ series found most residents – 56 per cent – support an application to host the world’s biggest sporting event in 2032 if it helped fast-tracked infrastructure.

The Sydney 2000 Olympic Stadium was completed at Homebush in time for the 2000 Games.

Only one in three people oppose the idea.

It comes as International Olympic Committee vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch encouraged the region to launch a bid, saying it would be an “honour and a pleasure’’ to bring the Games back to Australia.

The poll of 1660 people by YouGov Galaxy found that support for an Olympic bid rose to two-thirds among Millennials.

“They are clearly excited about this as an opportunity to solve some of the transport and other issues that require investment,” said managing director of the polling company David Briggs.

The SEQ Council of Mayors has commissioned a feasibility study into using a bid to drive government and private sector funding for a rapid rail network and other critical infrastructure.

“While we’re still in the feasibility process, it’s reassuring to see that the majority of southeast Queensland can already see the potential of a cost-effective Games,” Council of Mayors chairman and Brisbane Lord mayor Graham Quirk said.

“Our current methods of attracting funding and delivering transport solutions are clearly not keeping pace with the growth of our region.

“We need to explore new ways of focusing the attention of the Federal and State governments to deliver outcomes for southeast Queensland, and an Olympic Games may be one of those options.

The Gold Coast light rail was on track four months ahead of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Picture: Jerad Williams

“Strong support from southeast Queensland’s younger generation is great to see but not surprising. An Olympic Games could transform the region and create future opportunities, much like Expo 88 did for the current generation.”

Toowoomba mayor Paul Antonio said: “The community, like me, can see the benefits in pursuing the bold ambition of a regional Olympics.”

“The Olympics will just go for a couple of weeks, however it is the legacy projects that will be the real benefit for our region.”

An interim report by international consultants Event Knowledge Services, which helped win the Olympics and Paralympics for Rio de Janeiro says the event has had “a profound impact on the cities and regions which have hosted them”.

It said Olympics events such as Barcelona in 1992, Sydney in 2000 and London in 2012 “enabled the renewal of major derelict sites and the delivery of transport infrastructure projects that have changed the way people live, work and play”.

In order to avoid white elephant building, it was critical to focus on the legacy outcomes of an event and ensure a strong fit with the community’s long-term strategic plans.

The Gold and Sunshine Coasts could benefit from improved road connections. Picture: AAP/Josh Woning)

An audit of venues identified that southeast Queensland currently “faces a number of challenges” including the need to replace ageing infrastructure from previous events, invest in major entertainment and sports venues to secure the region’s status as a key events destination and provide more community sports facilities to match rapid growth.

“This is where an Olympic and Paralympic Games can provide a catalyst to address these issues and deliver positive outcomes,” it said.

The EKS reports says the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games was a great example of using a major event to deliver ongoing community facilities.

Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said 48 per cent support among his local community was “a strong result at this early stage and given there is a considerable amount of work that is yet to be done before a decision is made”.