SEQ 2032: Let’s get down to business

There are venues to be built as well as all the infrastructure to connect them. Here, Hayden Johnson reports on the business boom the SEQ Olympics will create and the regions set to benefit.

Billions of dollars in economic benefits and new infrastructure is set to create the biggest boon for Queensland businesses in a generation.

Businesses from Cape York to Coolangatta are set to benefit in a decade of prosperity and growth ahead of South East Queensland’s hosting of the 2032 Olympic Games.

About 85 per cent of the ­region’s Games’ venues are ­already built, but capacity ­upgrades and new transport links are set to transform the city – making it almost ­unrecognisable.

New road infrastructure and a regional rapid rail network will see passengers able to travel between the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast or ­Toowoomba and Brisbane in 45 minutes or less.

Cross River Rail will take sports fans straight to the Gabba doorstep, cutting out the current 20-minute walk from South Bank station, event buses from the city or getting stuck in cabs queuing back up on to the Riverside Expressway.

Cross River Rail’s new station at the Gabba will be the catalyst for a transformation of access and transport to Brisbane’s iconic sporting precinct.

Queensland’s 2032 Olympic venues have been selected to show off the best of Brisbane and the regions.

Outdoor sports will “showcase the diverse natural environment” to an international television and online audience in the hundreds of millions.

Volleyball is earmarked for a “spectacular Broadbeach”, triathlon staged against the backdrop of the Gold Coast city skyline and beaches, road cycling marathon, race walks and kiteboarding at the “picturesque Alexandra Headland coastal strip and Sunshine Coast hinterland”.

Brisbane will get a new 12,000-seat indoor sports ­centre to host basketball and the growing Redlands region will get a new whitewater aquatic centre.

Equestrian competition is set to be staged in the heart of central Brisbane and archery on the banks of the Brisbane River against the city ­backdrop.

The $1bn revamped Gabba will get what organisers are planning to be the centrepieces of the opening and closing ­ceremonies – watched by millions around the world – while the new Brisbane Arena at Roma St would be temporarily fitted out for swimming, one of the hottest tickets for Australian spectators.

The upgrade of existing ­facilities and surrounding landscapes is set to create a boom for businesses, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland senior policy adviser Gus Mandigora said.

“This type of publicity will put Brisbane in the spotlight and set us up for a potential post-Covid visitor boom,” he said.

“We know the games will present billions of dollars in advertising exposure value to South East Queensland and beyond, which is likely to generate significant confidence, as well as business and tourism opportunities, highlighting Queensland as an attractive place to visit and do business.

“The tourism industry is dominated by small and medium enterprises and they could stand to benefit from this increased exposure.”

Mr Mandigora said that the Olympics would provide small and medium businesses with significant procurement opportunities in the medium and long-term lead-up to the games.

“There are especially promising opportunities in the building construction and maintenance, general goods and services, information and communication technology, and transport infrastructure and services categories, but the scope of the work needed isn’t yet confirmed,” he said.

Trains on the proposed SEQ Fast Rail network could travel in excess of 160km/h.

He said it was critical business were given time to prepare for what opportunities the Games would present.

“Before we get to the delivery stage, and before spectators, athletes and their teams descend on the South East, there is more work to do to ­ensure Queensland SMEs are able to reap the legacy of the games,” he said.

“That could mean construction companies diversify into larger infrastructure projects, smaller companies could forge subcontracting relationships with larger companies, hire companies investing in vehicles or small businesses committing to upskilling or on-boarding new workers to make sure they’re ready to jump at new procurement opportunities.”

From the smallest business to Queensland’s largest company, economic benefits are set to be shared across the state.

Suncorp Group chief executive Steve Johnson said the Olympic Games would create unparalleled possibilities for the state.

“Winning the right to host the 2032 Games provides a great opportunity to showcase Brisbane and Queensland to the world,” he said.

“Queensland has proved its ability to host significant sporting events with great success. The 2032 Games will boost jobs, tourism and the economy, and increase awareness of the great things our state has to offer.

“Suncorp has a long and proud history in Queensland, and we look forward to being part of the journey to 2032.”

Artist impression of the Coomera Connector (Second M1) on the Gold Coast.

KEY PROJECTS

brisbane metro

Brisbane Metro will operate along dedicated busways from Eight Mile Plains to Roma Street, and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital to University of Queensland with turn-up-and-go services operating 24 hours on weekends – no timetables needed.

Cost: $1.244bn

Status: Project is fully funded by Brisbane City Council and the Federal Government. Stage one is under way. Services are due to start in late 2023.

centenary motorway bypass

A planning study has proposed a four-lane bypass (two lanes in each direction) linking Moggill Rd to the Centenary Motorway.

Cost: Unknown

Status: State Government to assess project’s affordability and priority

seq fast rail

Proposed by the Council of Mayors (South East Queensland), a 160km/h-plus fast rail network is critical to achieving a 45-minute region and would connect Brisbane to the Gold and Sunshine coasts, Ipswich and Toowoomba.

Cost: $17bn-$30bn

Status: Multiple business cases complete or underway

coomera connector

Also known as the Second M1, the massive project would travel east of the current, overstressed M1, linking Loganholme and Nerang with a 45km motorway.

Cost: $2.4bn

Status: Preliminary work for Stage 1 (Coomera to Helensvale) under way

REGIONS TO SHARE THE SPOILS OF OLYMPICS

International teams and millions of dollars in economic benefits will land in Queensland’s regional communities in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympic Games.

While the festivities and competition venues will be almost exclusively in South East Queensland, international teams are set to train and travel to rural centres across the state.

Local Government Association of Queensland chief executive Greg Hallam said the state’s regional areas would be lucrative to international teams before the 2032 Olympic Games.

“In 2000, we had more teams training in Queensland than anywhere in New South Wales,” he said.

“They come out once or twice prior to the games to do final preparations.”

The Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Greg Hallam. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

A state government report compiled in the months after the Sydney 2000 Games revealed more than 179 teams with 2500 athletes from 48 countries trained across the state from Cairns to Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Toowoomba, the Gold and Sunshine coasts and Brisbane.

Mr Hallam, himself a highly-qualified athletics coach, said the opportunities for regional Queensland to host teams and secure infrastructure were endless.

“What you’ll see is every major provincial city on the coast, if they haven’t got a quality track, will get one before 2032,” he said.

Early in the bidding process, regional Queensland leaders were bluntly told by former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk the 2032 bid would only be successful if the Games were held in South East Queensland.

He previously reminded them of what Sydney 2000 did for the state and the tens of millions of dollars visiting teams tipped into their towns.

In 2000, Queensland businesses picked up contracts worth over $400m, with major contracts going to companies for example, in Townsville for prefabrication of parts of the Olympic Village, and others who supplied Moreton Bay figs for the Olympic Park.

In Brisbane, the Olympic Games will fast-track new roads and rail, while across the state about 10,000 jobs are predicted from tourism in 2032 alone – delivering a $10bn uplift to the regional economy.

The games are expected to be cost-neutral for the state, with $US2.3bn to come from broadcast agreements and at least $US1.8bn from the International Olympic Committee.

Beyond the infrastructure and economic benefits, the South East Queensland Games will inspire a generation of young Queenslanders.

Originally published as SEQ 2032: Let’s get down to business