Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s new ‘freeloader’ attack on Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has unleashed a new attack on Adrian Schrinner, likening the council’s attitude to Brisbane 2032 to that of a guest who doesn’t bring anything to a backyard barbecue.
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Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has doubled down on his criticism of Brisbane City Council’s Olympic contribution and offered to build two indoor arenas for the price of one.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has attracted the ire of Games organisers for his reluctance to stump up cash for Olympic venues, prompting Mr Tate to call him a “freeloader”.
Speaking at the opening of a custom off-road vehicle accessory plant at Yatala on Friday, Mr Tate did not back away from his criticism, likening the Brisbane council’s attitude to that of a guest who doesn’t bring anything to a backyard barbecue.
“We all have barbecues,” he said at the Offroad Creative launch.
“And you get this one that comes in, doesn’t bring anything, eats all your sausages, drinks all your beer… and be the life of the party.
“It doesn’t contribute and that’s what I call a freeloader so… it’s about time that you contribute.
“Brisbane City Council, start being a team player, towards the 2032 Olympic Games.”
Mr Schrinner said Brisbane City Council was already investing significantly in other infrastructure linked to the 2032 Games, such as transport, but Mr Tate called that argument “a lot of BS”.
“He can say that (making major funding commitments on other non-stadium infrastructure) but I trump him with our light rail on stage one, two, three and four to the airport.
“That (infrastructure) is stuff that he would have spent anyway, even if the Games wasn’t awarded, so to pull that going, we’re contributing that, well, you’re building it anyway.
“And that’s another word that you can use - that’s a lot of BS.”
Mr Tate has staunchly lobbied Games organisers to host Olympic swimming at the Gold Coast’s own elite swimming centre, which hosted the 2018 Commonwealth Games and repeated his claim that an inner-city Brisbane arena did not make economic sense.
“$2.5 billion? I have an estimate for an arena for the Gold Coast that we’ll do in Southport and it’s $250 million, right?
“Matter of fact, I say if they’re going to spend $2.5bn, the city of the Gold Coast would like the contract to build it and out of that profit we will build our arena as well.”
He said he was comfortable with missing out on extra Olympic venues as long as officials “respect the ratepayers of Queensland”.
“That’s all I ask,” he said.
“Respect rate payers and respect Queensland’s money.
“The more you spend on stadiums or temporary facilities that have no legacy, scrub it off.”
He hit back at criticism of his decision to exit the southeast Queensland council of mayors several years ago.
“Why do I need to spend $360,000 a year and sit around at Councillor Mayor’s when as a second largest council in Australia, I have the ability to ring the federal ministers, state ministers and other council mayors for conversation, advocacy off my own bat.”
Originally published as Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate’s new ‘freeloader’ attack on Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner
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