SEQ Olympics 2032 might hold events around Australia: Minister

It’s billed as southeast Queensland’s Games bid, but a state minister has let slip that hosting the 2032 Olympics might not be that simple.

OLYMPIC Games talks have raised the prospect of hosting events across Australia – or even in New Zealand – as the Queensland Government wrestles with its 2032 bid.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones revealed the suggestions at a Queensland Media Club lunch while being quizzed over how the state could balance the infrastructure needed for such a major event.

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Ms Jones said the International Olympic Committee, like Commonwealth Games organisers, had moved to choosing communities that needed transformational projects.

“At the moment we have a lot of that infrastructure, and their willingness to allow us to host it over more locations, either in Queensland or indeed Australia,” she said.

“There’s even some talk about New Zealand – I shouldn’t say that in front of a whole bunch of journos, should I?

“I’m too honest.

“We’re not seriously considering that, it’s just a suggestion.

“There’s a lot to take in. There’s a lot to do.”

Ms Jones admitted there was also challenges around how another round arena could be incorporated into Olympic plans that wouldn’t be a white elephant afterwards, as well as opening and closing ceremony infrastructure.

“Yeah, that’s one of the challenges,” she said of another round stadium.

“I’m being honest.”

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones

Meanwhile, decisions on the future of the city’s transformative Brisbane Live entertainment precinct and a second Gold Coast casino are expected by the end of the year.

Ms Jones said she hoped to have an announcement in coming weeks around the $2.1 billion sports, music and arts precinct, with a planned 18,000-seat arena at its core that would sit above a revamped Roma St train station.

The news follows the handing of the project’s business case to the Government over a year ago.

Ms Jones, who is also Cross River Rail Minister, admitted the cost was a challenge, but remained committed to going to market through the CRR Delivery Authority so the project could be considered in conjunction with the new rail station.

“We hope to have that resolved by the end of the year,” she said.

“Cost’s a challenge for any large project.

“At the moment we’re working through the location and where that would best be, but I’m in favour of having a market process where we actually get ideas coming forward about how you resolve some of those challenges.”

Ms Jones said she also wanted to resolve the question of a second casino for the Gold Coast by the year’s end.

She said Gold Coast residents had mixed views around whether the Government should be providing land for a casino.

Unlike Brisbane’s Queens Wharf, where there was public agreement on developing under-utilised, prime CBD land, that consensus didn’t exist on the Coast, she said.