‘Snail-like pace’ as Games plans nearly a year behind schedule

Brisbane Olympic Games stakeholders “are extremely worried and very frustrated at the snail-like pace of the rollout’’ as a bureaucratic turf war takes place, insiders claim. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has hit back at concerns Queensland is dragging its feet in preparing for the 2032 Olympics, saying there’s still 3596 days until the Games and “plenty of time” to get ready.

The Palaszczuk government is nearly a year behind schedule on its Olympics infrastructure plan, and frustrated senior bureaucrats are warning venues, athletes’ villages, road and rail networks risk not being built on time unless it starts to accelerate quickly.

In fact, while the 22-person Brisbane Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) has been up and running since April, the delivery authority to build the Olympics infrastructure has not even been established.

Under the terms of the agreement struck with the International Olympic Committee, the infrastructure delivery authority – known as the Olympic Co-ordination Authority – should have been set up within five months of Brisbane being declared the 2032 host.

The Brisbane winning bid was announced in July 2021, meaning the infrastructure committee should have been operational by Christmas last year.

Even if announced soon, it will be at least 10 months behind when the IOC sounded the starter’s gun.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Brisbane mayor Adrian Schrinner celebrate after Brisbane was announced as the 2032 Summer Olympics host city in July 2021. Picture: AFP

Mr Hinchliffe insisted the state was not being slow out of the blocks in getting set for the Games and slammed repeated questions from journalists as “extraordinary”.

“The opening ceremony will be happening in 2032, it’ll be 3596 days away – we have a lot of time to be ready,” he said.

“There is a lot of work going on – great, positive work – between all the partners that have been going on very well over the past 12 months.

“We have plenty of time to do what we need to do, and the great planning is going on apace.”

Mr Hinchlife said Olympics host cities were traditionally given seven years to prepare but “here we’ve got this 10-year runway to do all the things we need to do”.

He said most of the infrastructure was already in place and when IOC bosses visited Brisbane in May, Aussie athlete Cedric Dubler had remarked that “the Games could start tomorrow”.

“He could see that we had great facilities that were ready to go,” he said.

Mr Hinchliffe said he was confident all Olympics infrastructure which the government had committed to, including the $1 billion Gabba redevelopment, would be delivered and Brisbane would host an “outstanding” Games.

He said Queensland was “well ahead of any other Games held in history” and was “in a great place to deliver what will be a fantastic event in 2032”.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said last month the infrastructure body could be up and running by next month but behind-the-scenes jockeying between state and federal bureaucrats is thwarting the process.

Responsibility for Olympics infrastructure currently sits within State Development, which is headed by Minister Steven Miles and ­director-general Mike Kaiser.

Labor sources say turf wars are rampant within the bureaucracy on who gets responsibility for what, with most of the major transport projects, including the $6bn Cross River Rail, falling within the Transport portfolio.

“It’s a s**t fight,’’ said a source. “Miles wants as much control as possible so he can hand out ‘Olympics goodies’ to MPs if there’s a leadership battle.

“The feds are not happy. People are extremely worried and very frustrated at the snail-like pace of the rollout.’’

Such is the frustration at the lack of infrastructure decision-making, BOCOG chairman Andrew Liveris wants a senior person from the Premier’s department seconded to his committee to help facilitate the venues and transport delivery.

Members of the Organising Committee gather for the inaugural board meeting for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Picture: NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

The Courier-Mail also understands the $1bn price tag attached to the demolition and reconstruction of the Gabba has been dramatically underestimated and there is serious doubt about whether knocking it down for an extra 5000 seats is warranted.

Another Labor source said: “We’re 10 years out (from the Games) but when you consider that nobody works in December-January, we’ve got La Nina systems on the rise so wet weather will play an increasingly damaging role, and the unions will walk off the job if somebody breaks wind … really the construction window is a lot tighter than anybody thinks.’’

Added to the pressure to get things moving is the escalating cost of construction.

The infrastructure imbroglio comes as speculation mounts that AFL supremo Gillon McLachlan will play a senior role – likely chief executive – within BOCOG.

He has developed a good relationship with Ms Palaszczuk during his highly successful tenure as AFL chief executive.

A new inner-city sports precinct, the Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct plan, which incorporates an innovative water harvesting and reclamation system for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Picture: Brisbane City Council

According to the document presented to the IOC, authored by the Australian Olympic Committee and the State Government, the Olympic Co-ordination Authority and BOCOG will “work closely together from their inception, both within five months of the election as Host City’’.

OCA’s primary responsibility is to “assure the availability of all infrastructure, venues and any other government assets required for the delivery of the Games’’.

It would also oversee Games transport delivery and service provision, develop a transport plan, and lead on ­industry-business supply chain management.

With land resumptions now becoming a political hot potato, the OCA is also responsible for dealing with “Games-impacted businesses and residents’’.

Opposition Olympics spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said: “Given this government’s record of infrastructure cost blowouts and delays, it’s no surprise that it’s been over a year since we were awarded the Games and the government still has no idea what it wants to build and is now fighting amongst themselves about who is responsible.

“The Deputy Premier has refused to release the state’s list of infrastructure they want to jointly fund with the federal government and Queenslanders deserve to know.

“This is why we have always said Olympic infrastructure should be delivered by an independent body and not by the Palaszczuk government.”

Originally published as ‘Snail-like pace’ as Games plans nearly a year behind schedule