Premier to lead taskforce to determine cost of 2032 Olympics to taxpayers
Annastacia Palaszczuk says she won’t speculate on how much it would cost to host the Olympic Games in southeast Queensland as she edges closer to signing off on a bid for the 2032 event.
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PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk says she won’t speculate on the cost of a Queensland Olympic Games as she edges closer to signing off on a bid for the 2032 event.
It comes after The Courier-Mail today revealed that the Premier would lead a taskforce charged with determining the cost to taxpayers, with the State to match the Commonwealth’s initial $10 million bid commitment.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OLYMPIC BID
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Ms Palaszczuk said she would not comment on any costings until the value assessment was completed, but said she expected all levels of government to contribute to the final cost.
“This is exactly what the value assessment is all about,” she said.
“We need to do an assessment of where our existing infrastructure is, what else is needed to put forward the bid. I’m going to make sure everything stacks up. Queenslanders would expect nothing less from me.”
Ms Palaszczuk also urged all levels of government to work together, saying she needed “everyone on board”.
“I don’t need people sniping at the sidelines – I need everyone focused,” she said.
The new taskforce charged with looking at the bid will sit within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Ms Palaszczuk said the Olympic blueprint conducted by the South East Queensland Council of Mayors would form the basis of a bid, but “may not be the final assessment that we do”
The Prime Minister’s representative for the 2032 Olympic Games Ted O’Brien MP today urged the Queensland Government to back a southeast Queensland campaign for the Olympics “boots-and-all”.
“It’s essential that Team Australia be united behind the bid to secure the 2032 Olympic Games,” Mr O’Brien said.
“While I welcome Queensland’s commitment to match the Commonwealth’s $10 million to investigate a bid, the Palaszczuk Government needs to join the Federal Government and local SEQ Mayors backing the bid 100 per cent so the starting gun can be fired in the race for the 2032 games.”
Mr O’Brien said Queensland risked its “ability to secure first mover advantage ahead of rival bidders”.
“There really is no time to waste. There is no doubt the International Olympic Committee and potential hosts have been watching the State Government move at a glacial pace and any hesitancy undermines our pitch to host the Games.
“We need to show the IOC exactly how much SEQ is embracing this golden opportunity.
“I’ll be seeking to contact Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today to discuss the bid.”
Mr O’Brien said the governance structure around the bid team needed to be determined, an economic feasibility study competed and work to begin on a SEQ proposal including infrastructure requirements.
“The great thing is we already have a mechanism in place uniting the three tiers of government on infrastructure, and that is the SEQ City Deal and negotiations on that deal are under way,” he said.
The money put forward by the State Government will be used to conduct a full cost-benefit analysis to get to the bottom of exactly how much the Games could cost and what benefit Queensland could reap in return.
“This could be the greatest thing that ever happened in Queensland,” Ms Palaszczuk said of the Olympics.
“Imagine all levels of government, business and the community united behind the single goal of a Queensland Olympics. They’d be the best-ever.”
Cabinet signed off on the taskforce, which Ms Palaszczuk will chair, on Monday afternoon.
It will prepare a detailed “value proposition” study looking at the venues and transport infrastructure required, as well as an Olympics Village master plan.
The taskforce will also determine what infrastructure would be funded and delivered irrespective of the Games as well as assess the economic viability of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in the state.
It will also determine funding sources to cover the costs and the infrastructure required, including contributions from all three levels of Government and the private sector.
Work will start later this month with the taskforce reporting back early next year.
Using an Olympics bid to help fast-track critical infrastructure needs in southeast Queensland was at the top of the action plan delivered during The Courier-Mail’s Future Tourism campaign last month.
“There are a lot of benefits to hosting these Games but I want to make sure we know the costs as well,” said Ms Palaszczuk, who will fly to Switzerland in September to meet with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach.
The Premier said she was pushing forward with plans to incorporate other parts of Queensland, rather than just the southeast corner, off the back of the IOC’s “game-changing” decision to allow regions and multiple cities to bid.
New rules that would allow bidders to use existing venue infrastructure have also helped.
“We delivered a Commonwealth Games that got the world’s attention, that was inclusive of cities outside the Gold Coast, such as Townsville and Cairns, and we delivered them on time and under budget.
“This next stage will allow an Olympics that is inclusive of Queensland.”
Ms Palaszczuk said the $10 million commitment to deliver the cost-benefit analysis would be made up of a combination of ‘in kind’ work by existing government staff and resources with minimal use of specialist consultants.
She said the taskforce’s work would build on the studies already conducted by the South East Queensland Council of Mayors.
The Council of Mayors, the Federal Government and News Corp Australia, publishers of The Courier-Mail, have already publicly backed the Olympic bid.
At the G20 Summit earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Mr Bach that Queensland was ready to put on a better Games than Sydney did in 2000.
Ms Palaszczuk said all levels of government, as well as the corporate sector, would need to work together for a bid to work.
“Competing in a world-class sporting event is all about teamwork and preparation. So is delivering a successful bid,” she said.
PROS & CONS
What Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Queensland Olympics bid taskforce will look at:
■ Assess the venue and village master plan and transport infrastructure required
■ Assess what infrastructure would be prioritised, funded and delivered irrespective of an Olympic Games
■ Assess the economic viability and cost-benefits through a detailed
economic assessment
■ Determine the funding sources, including contributions from federal, state and local government, as well as private sector
■ Determine the overarching value proposition of a 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
GOING FOR GOLD
ARE WE MAKING A BID FOR THE 2032 OLYMPICS?
It has not been confirmed yet. A report commissioned by the SEQ Council of Mayors said there is a compelling case. The Federal Government has committed $10 million towards a bid.
The state has announced its own $10 million study to determine the costs and benefits of the games.
HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates says initial financial planning indicates the games will be cost-neutral to SEQ.
The Council of Mayors estimates the operational budget of a SEQ Games would be about $5.3 billion, but would be offset by a financial contribution from the International Olympic Committee of $2.6 billion and an anticipated $2.7 billion of revenue from sponsors, ticket sales and merchandise.
The most recent Winter Games, PyeongChang 2018, reported a surplus of $A78 million on top of the economic uplift and international exposure that comes with hosting the world’s biggest event.
WHAT NEXT?
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will chair a taskforce charged with completing a full economic
cost-benefit study.
WHAT IS THE TIME FRAME?
The Mayors and Australian Olympic Committee believe a decision on a bid should be made before next year’s Tokyo Games. The official bid deadline is currently 2023, but IOC rule changes may alter that. The host will be decided in 2025.
WHO ELSE IS IN THE MIX?
A joint North-South Korea bid for Pyongyang and Seoul has been flagged and the Indonesian capital of Jakarta has confirmed it will throw its hat in.
Other possibilities include Mumbai in India, Shanghai in China, Buenos Aires in Argentina and maybe locations in Germany and Russia.
WHERE WOULD EVENTS BE STAGED?
Current, future and temporary venues have been identified across the various council areas in the south-east corner and some events could also take place in regional cities, such as Cairns and Townsville.
WHAT WOULD THE GAMES BE CALLED?
Some have called for it to be known as the Brisbane 2032 Games.
The state is considering expanding the games across the state and calling it the Queensland 2032 Games.
WHEN WOULD THEY TAKE PLACE?
The SEQ Mayors’ feasibility report proposes the Olympics be held from August 13-29; and the Paralympics from October 5-17, 2032.
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