2032 Olympic Games organising committee accused of ignoring regions

The organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has not consulted with numerous councils outside of southeast Queensland, a senate inquiry has heard.

In Mackay for the senate inquiry into Olympic preparedness from left are: Senator Bridget McKenzie, Senator Matt Canavan, Dawson MP Andrew Willcox, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, and Senator Malcolm Roberts. Picture: Heidi Petith.

The organising committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games has not consulted with numerous councils outside of southeast Queensland, a senate inquiry has heard.

Mackay Regional Council deputy mayor Karen May said they were yet to have “one serious conversation” with the committee.

Rugby league great and fellow councillor Martin Bella said the state government’s lack of action verged on “wilful unawareness”.

Townsville City Council Mayor Jenny Hill said it would be “very hard” for anyone from regional Queensland to have a voice on the games noting a lack of representation on the committee, adding the Noosa and Brisbane mayors as sitting members were preoccupied on getting their “piece of the pie”.

Mr Bella said the state government had “no appreciation” for what went on in regional Queensland and nothing would change until it decentralised and set up more offices outside of Brisbane.

He further slammed the Olympics cash splash with its focus on legacy sporting infrastructure which he claimed would drain the life out of community sporting clubs.

RATEPAYERS TO WEAR SPENDING ‘HANGOVERS’

Mr Bella said if councils were forced to front the upkeep of new structures under current funding models, ratepayers would wear the “hangover”, and social issues like homelessness would increase “massively”.

Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development opposition spokeswoman, Senator Bridget McKenzie, used the hearing to ask the councillors how much their regions put into the state government’s coffers.

Mackay deputy mayor Karen May and councillor Martin Bella speaking at the senate inquiry into Olympic preparedness. Picture: Mitch Bourke

Ms Hill, Ms May, and Central Highlands Region mayor Kerry Hayes pointed out their patches made “significant contribution(s)” through mining and agriculture while not getting their fair share of infrastructure in return.

Senator Penny Allman-Payne asked councillors how they would spend the $2.7bn the state government was wasting to rebuild Brisbane’s Gabba.

WEALTH CONCENTRATED IN ‘SOUTHEAST CORNER’

“The Olympics is currently a wealth transfer exercise from regional Queensland to the southeast corner,” Ms Payne said.

The Bruce, Flinders, Carnarvon, and Gregory Highways were all sore points for councillors with Mr Bella calling the roads “atrocious” and a deadly risk for families driving to sporting events.

The Bruce Highway was recently named Queensland’s worst road with almost half classed as having a two-star safety rating or less. Top left: truck drivers narrowly avoid massive potholes at Koumala south of Mackay. Picture: Mitchell Dyer. Bottom left: The Bruce Highway between Mackay and Proserpine was littered with hazardous potholes after typical summer rain. Picture: Heidi Petith. Right: The Bruce Highway was completely cut off for four days just south of Proserpine in January, 2023, after heavy rain caused flash flooding. Picture: Robert Murolo

He said the state government must take a “holistic” approach to Olympics spending which included building better roads to nurture the trajectory of budding regional athletes.

Mr Bella told the inquiry money was better spent on community sporting clubs where volunteers were “continually trying to scrounge” for extra dollars and insurance was a “killer”.

He said legacy projects, which included Mackay's Great Barrier Reef Arena’s aspirations to build its multimillion-dollar Stage 2 expansion, only benefited the few and if Queensland wanted elite athletes it had to foster them at a grassroots level.

CHANCE TO INSPIRE NEXT GENERATION

Great Barrier Reef Arena general manager Adrian Young said he believed upgrading the precinct, which would allow it to host Olympic cricket while the Gabba was out of action, would “inspire” the next generation.

“You can’t be what you can’t see,” he said in response to Mr Bella’s comments.

Harrup Park CEO Adrian Young (left) and Mackay Airport head of operations Adrian Miles (right) have partnered in hopes to bring the Olympics to Mackay. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Hill proposed the state government introduce travel subsidies for regional athletes and suggested it take inspiration from the American model which co-located sporting clubs on public school ovals to share the cost “burden”.

She further called for more government funding to bolster community clubs with support for admin, coaches and referees, citing Mt Isa’s dwindling volunteer base.

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill says regional Queensland won’t be represented fairly in the lead up to the 2032 Olympics given the current makeup of the committee. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Mr Hayes said with prohibitive costs a factor of being outside of major cities, there was diminished investment in regional sporting facilities.

YET TO SHOW ANY REAL BENEFITS TO REGIONS

He said Olympic planning documents had so far yet to show real benefit for the regions but he hoped the “heightened aspirations” that came with the upcoming games would have equitable outcomes outside of southeast Queensland.

Mr Hayes said “quite frankly” the last time there was a “conscious” equitable effort was when “almost every place” in Australia built swimming pools after the 1956 Olympics.

Also speaking at the inquiry at the GBRA in Mackay on Thursday were representatives from Magpies Sporting Club, Wests Leagues Club, Rugby League Mackay and District chairman Heath Grundy, Rugby Union Townsville and Districts director Daniel Withers, AFL Finance, Clubs and Infrastructure executive general manager Matthew Chun, and Townsville Cricket Inc president Peter Busch.