Analysis: Labor has dropped the Brisbane 2032 baton in its shambolic run to the line

Three years since Brisbane won the once-ever Olympic Games opportunity there’s little to show for it, and it’s not going to get better quickly.

Three years since Brisbane won the once-ever Olympic Games opportunity there’s little to show for it, and it’s not going to get better quickly.

We were promised landmark transport infrastructure upgrades, a transformation of the inner city, and sports venue upgrades fit for an Olympic host city. Now, two years of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s style over substance has left Queenslanders unconfident that we’ll be able to pull this show off – and it didn’t have to come to this.

In September 2021, weeks after winning the Games, Ms Palaszczuk was being internally lobbied to launch an independent review of her Olympic venue plan.

Ministers hoped it would give Queenslanders confidence they were getting the best bang for buck.

One of the earlier images to emerge around the time of the bid was this artist’s impression of the proposed Brisbane Arena.

She ignored their calls and the issue became politically toxic – culminating two years later with Steven Miles metaphorically ripping the Olympic rings off the office wall and throwing them 40 floors to William Street below.

It hasn’t stopped Mr Miles from being trapped in his own Games missteps. He called for Graham Quirk’s infrastructure review, only to undermine it by tasking his department to secretly work towards announcing it would be ignored in favour of upgrading the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.

Fed up Brisbane, South East and regional Queenslanders are now divided over the best way forward – but they’re confident it’s not with the Labor government.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli, who’s hop-scotched his way through the government’s Olympic shambles, is now seen as the right man to deliver us these Games. He’s trod carefully by endorsing the 2032 Olympics while sympathising with regional Queenslanders – whose votes are critical to him becoming premier – about the huge cash splash in the South East.

Labor and the LNP see promoting the 2032 Olympic Games a lost cause six months out from the state election.

As they kick the can down the road, it’s Queenslanders who are losing.