Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald backs potential outcomes of TSBE funding for 2032 Olympic Games opportunities
Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald has backed a three-year funding agreement for a lobby group to seek out Olympic Games opportunities — a deal criticised by his colleague Nancy Sommerfield.
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Mayor Geoff McDonald has defended the council’s decision to give more than $370,000 to its economic lobby group to further develop 2032 Olympic Games opportunities for Toowoomba, after the move was criticised by some of his colleagues.
Councillors voted at Tuesday’s meeting to endorse a three-year funding deed with Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise to allow its Olympic Games strategy and legacy project manager Mark Mason to pursue multiple avenues for the region to benefit from the event.
The deed is worth $124,000 for the first 12 months (March 2023 to February 2024) and then that same amount for the next 24 months including extra funding equivalent to percentage increases in the council’s funding arrangement with TSBE over that time.
Also included in the agreement is a clawback clause that could allow the Toowoomba Regional Council to reduce the funding if TSBE was to secure external financial support like grants and subsidies.
Key performance indicators for TSBE (see below for full list) will include a minimum of 10 monthly engagements with various government agencies and businesses in relation to the games and developing relationships with Oceanic Nations Olympic Committee.
TSBE also needs to continue work on the proposed equestrian centre of excellence, depending on the result of an upcoming feasibility study for Equestrian Queensland.
Mr McDonald said he believed the region could see “real success” from Mr Mason’s work.
“We understand through the government procurement process, there’s about $180bn worth of government procurements attached to the games, (so) for us it’s about soft and hard infrastructure and the supply of materials and products to the Olympics,” he said.
“This funding goes through until 2026, so one would hope we can see some real success.
“We’re not under any impressions we’ll be getting blue ribbon events — the 100m sprint is not coming to Toowoomba — but we should be leveraging our region’s strengths like our agricultural sector.
“Mark’s been working hard with the Olympic Games committees — there are quite a number of them (and) you need to be part of all the entities, so that’s where Mark needs to be.”
But the decision, which was deferred from May, comes at a tenuous moment for the Olympic Games due to new Premier Steven Miles’ change in approach to its preparations.
It also follows Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s disapproval with the state government’s approach, leading him to quit an Olympics intergovernmental forum earlier this month.
This instability was enough for councillor Nancy Sommerfield to vote against the funding deed, arguing the council needed to focus on other priorities.
“I wonder about the necessity of us to be funding it,” she said.
“I see a fading of the Olympics, we’ve seen the new state government move it into infrastructure.
“I’ve seen Mayor Schrinner make his own moves in relation to the Olympics and I see nothing coming our way or improving.
“It’s a lot of money, it’s a tight budget and I do worry if we do need to be funding it — I don’t know if we’re getting the outcomes we need.”
Her colleague Bill Cahill also voted against the motion.
In response to the comments, Mr McDonald said Toowoomba needed to have a seat at the decision table to see any benefits.
“Councillor Sommerfield’s comments were valid, we all want to see a return on investment,” he said.
“But we also need to make sure we leverage an opportunity when it puts us on the world stage – who knows when it will be back in Australia, if ever.
“It gives us a chance to promote ourselves, but also opportunities will be lost if we don’t have a seat at the table.
“It’s a pretty measured and responsible approach.”
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