Games marathon legacy: first slow steps in building the health and knowledge precinct

The first large development site in an area used for the Commonwealth Games has been sold, to be used as part of an innovative project designed to create new jobs.

THE first large development site within the former Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Athletes Village has been sold – but Labor faces criticism about its sales pitch.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick today announced the 4365m2 site has been bought by Griffith University, and will become the home of the University’s Advanced Design Manufacturing & Prototyping building.

“This is the first sale of one of 16 sites that are ready for development so it’s a significant milestone for the precinct,” Mr Dick told The Bulletin.

“This land transaction heralds a great partnership between the Palaszczuk Government and Griffith University.”

Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct

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ADaPT is an $80 million facility that will use a range of advanced technologies to support the rapid development of prototypes and products for a variety of industries, including biomedical applications.

Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Carolyn Evans described the ADaPT investment as a “lighthouse development” for the precinct.

The 200-hectare Precinct, which includes the former athletes’ village, has 16 developable parcels of land on 9.5ha available for health and knowledge related businesses.

Gaven MP Gaven Meaghan Scanlon said the announcement was a great first step towards the government’s vision for the precinct.

“This is about attracting innovative, new industries and businesses in the health and education sector to the precinct, to diversify the Gold Coast economy and ultimately create a thriving community to live and work in,” Ms Scanlon said.

State Development Minister Cameron Dick talking up the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt).

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But Bonney MP Sam O’Connor fears there are too many “patches of dirt”.

“The only thing they are producing is dust. We have heard about how it is one year on from the Commonwealth Games, and today I had a look through the GC2018 post games report,” he told Parliament.

“It talks about the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct — how it will provide 26,000 jobs for our area. The fine print says it has a 10 to 15-year delivery time frame.

“This is over-promising and underdelivering. We need this much sooner. The report talks about Trade 2018, with 3,200 international delegates from tens of countries and about how the precinct was pitched to them.

Bonney MP Sam O'Connor has concerns. (Photo/Steve Holland).

“There is only one building confirmed for the nine hectares of state land in the precinct — only one. Clearly, they needed a better sales pitch. Which country could it possibly have come from?

“We had delegations from 26 countries during the games. Could it have been Canada or India or Singapore? Well, it is from Griffith University, not from the other side of the world but from the other side of the road.

“I have a degree in biomedical science so I know how difficult the job market is. We certainly do not want to have to see biomed graduates get elected to parliament just to get employed.”