Katter Party MP Nick Dametto’s motion to cancel Brisbane 2032 shot down

A passionate pitch by the crossbench to cancel the Brisbane 2032 Games has been shot down spectacularly.

A passionate pitch by the crossbench to cancel the Brisbane 2032 Games has been shot down spectacularly amid some fiery debate in Queensland’s parliament on Wednesday.

Katter’s Australian Party member Nick Dametto put forward a motion to “immediately commence the necessary steps to cancel the Brisbane Olympics”, and called for the government to instead “redirect the $7 billion of funds towards improving state government services and infrastructure and nation-building projects in regional Queensland”.

Mr Dametto argued regional Queensland feels slighted that the government was not committed to them, but rather to “securing an Olympics bid to make sure that Brisbane could have a massive party”.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto. Picture: Shae Beplate.

But the motion was soundly defeated - with the two KAP members joined only by One Nation MP Stephen Andrew.

Earlier on Wednesday Premier Steven Miles was pushed on the Games - in particular the controversial Gabba plans - by Greens MP Michael Berkman.

Following The Courier-Mail revealing last week Olympic supremo John Coates, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor and Peter Beattie all felt the Gabba should not be rebuilt, Mr Berkman asked whether the Premier would now cancel it for good.

Former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk was currently undertaking a 60-day review of Games venues - including the Gabba.

Mr Miles accused the Greens of trying to “make this a political issue for its own electoral advantage”.

“But we certainly will not be. We are focused on delivering the best outcome, and that is why we commissioned Graham Quirk to look at the games master plan and identify for us the best value options, and we will take on board the outcomes of that review,” he said.

“It is a sincere process and I certainly hope that it results in a better plan. I certainly hope that it can deliver for us better value for money and a better outcome for the venues. I certainly hope that it helps us to deliver a better outcome, and that is why we have undertaken this process, as I say, in good faith.

Developing Queensland - Brisbane Queensland Australia - January 10 2023 : Woolloongabba (Gabba) stadium is seen on a summer morning. This stadium is set to welcome Brisbane Olympics summer games in 2032.

Mr Quirk has a wide remit to look at whatever he thinks should be looked at and make whatever recommendations to us he thinks he should make, so I would not, if I was the member for Maiwar, rush to chalk this up as a victory for the Greens political party.

“This is an attempt to get the most commonsense outcome.”