Future Gold Coast: Acting Mayor Donna Gates reveals challenges faces 2026 Commonwealth Games bid

Acting Mayor Donna Gates has revealed how likely it is that the Gold Coast will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games and what could change.

Acting Mayor Donna Gates says Gold Coast hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games is extremely unlikely despite strong support from the business community.

The fate of the city’s bid to host the event after Victoria abandoned it will be determined at a mid-November meeting of the Commonwealth Games Federation in Singapore.

But Ms Gates said it would be impossible for the council to run the Games without help.

“Without state or federal funding the city cannot put on the Games,” she said.

“We spent 10 years organising the last ones and council did not deliver those games, the government did so clearly the Premier has said categorically no.

Acting Mayor Donna Gates. Picture Glenn Hampson

“Unless something changes, I don’t know that it is possible”.

However Ms Gates said councillors were not fully aware of the details surrounding the discussions between the Mayor and Games bosses.

“The Mayor has had a lot of meetings, which the council is yet to be informed of, with the Games bodies and with state and a federal inquiry into their delivery,” she said.

“The Mayor has a lot of information which we are yet to have so if there is a hint of support from either level of government then we will all have to come on the journey.

“Once we are aware of everything then I presume a vote of council will be needed to determine what we do going forward.

Future Gold Coast round table meeting in the Gold Coast Bulletin boardroom. Picture Glenn Hampson

“The Mayor has always maintained it will be at no cost to ratepayers and that is the view of all councillors”.

Ms Gates spoke at the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Future Gold Coast roundtable event ahead of the campaign’s launch in early November.

Demographer and social researcher Mark McCrindle gave a presentation on the growth of the city in the coming decades, giving particular focus to northern suburbs.

He underlined the need for greater funding to expand public transport and infrastructure to support the population, which will hit 1 million people in less than 20 years.

Acting Mayor Donna Gates Picture Glenn Hampson

‘The story of the Gold Coast in the next 20 years is that of a fast-growing city and an even faster-growing north,” he said.

“Demand brings demand and you have an economic cycle where you are going to need infrastructure and to fill those jobs which are available.

“However there is a cost of living and cost of housing challenge and while the construction sector is growing, it is competing against infrastructure and government and we need to ensure there is a level of housing compatible with growth.”

Bulletin editor Ryan Keen. Picture Glenn Hampson

The Future Gold Coast Forum will be held on November 17 at Sea World Conference Centre from 12pm to 3pm.

Mr McCrindle will deliver the keynote address at the event, which will be hosted by presenter Joe Hildebrand and feature Schuyler Weiss, the managing director of Baz Luhrmann’s Bazmark who will discuss the future of the film industry.

Tickets are available from https://events.humanitix.com/future-gold-coast