Premier to add yet another Olympics role as her grip over the 2032 Games tightens

She’s already Olympics Minister, now Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has added another title to her Games credentials. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST

Annastacia Palaszczuk will secure additional power in the planning of Brisbane’s Olympic Games by asking cabinet to ratify her self-appointment as a director of the 2032 organising committee.

Ms Palaszczuk, speaking on The Courier-Mail and Nova’s Toward the Games podcast released yesterday, said she would ask Cabinet to approve her seat on the 21-person committee.

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The Premier said the move, which had the support of Australian Olympic Committee President John Coates, was vital.

“Someone has to be responsible for making sure the committee actually does their job in accordance with what I signed the state up to,” she said.

“It’s a pretty fundamental premise here, that you can’t have a committee that goes off and does something completely opposite to what the Premier has signed the people of Queensland up to with the Olympics.”

However as Olympics Minister Ms Palaszczuk already has the power to issue the committee with a direction or to produce documents.

She has denied there will be too many leaders on the committee, with Mr Coates and an experienced independent president also on the board – with whom Ms Palaszczuk said the buck would stop.

Annastacia Palaszczuk celebrates after Brisbane was announced as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city during the 138th IOC Session at Hotel Okura in Tokyo, Japan.

Ms Palaszczuk said a shortlist of about 30 talented independent candidates had been handed to herself and Prime Minister Scott Morrison to choose just five.

Ms Palaszczuk said there was “so much talent” on the shortlist, which the president of the committee will be chosen from.

Once the five are selected Ms Palaszczuk said she would reveal her four personal committee selections.

The Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee for the Olympic Games is expected to be finalised before the end of the month and hold its first meeting in early March.

Queensland is expected to be remembered as the friendly games and establish itself for decades to come, Ms Palaszczuk predicted.

“You have to have the people engaged and the pride that comes with it – look how proud we were when we had Expo 88,” she said.

“It’s just about setting this state up for life. It is about saying we are now an Olympic city and you can never lose that, no one can take that away from you. “

Ms Palaszczuk said previous meetings with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach were like “catching up with a friend” and revealed he could visit Queensland soon.

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