SEQ 2032 needs a leader for bidding company
As the starter’s gun officially fires on southeast Queensland’s 2032 Olympic Games bid, Team Queensland has lined up — but there’s still a conspicuous absence.
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THE hunt is on to fill the toughest new job in Queensland: heading up the company responsible for winning the Olympics for the state.
The starter’s gun was formally fired on the SEQ 2032 Games bid yesterday when political and sports leaders tasked with securing the biggest event in the world for Queensland got together for the first time since the State Government declared it was on board.
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Insiders said the meeting marked the end of the “should we do it” phase, to “what do we do to win it” for the SEQ Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The most significant agreement yesterday was to form a private company — taking day-to-day running out of the hands of public servants and politicians — to supercharge the bid in time to present a convincing proposition to the International Olympic Committee ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in the middle of next year.
The leadership group — chaired yesterday by Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, minister Kate Jones, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Federal Government Games representative Ted O’Brien and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson — agreed to have the company formed by the end of January, with the hunt now on for a chief executive to head it.
The existing leadership group will effectively become the board of directors of the bid company, and will also be expanded to include Paralympic, athele and other community representatives.
The final structure is expected to be confirmed next month.
The SEQ Council of Mayors proposed a Games bid to fast-track new roads and rail with a feasibility study which gathered momentum on the back of The Courier-Mail’s Future SEQ campaign.
In June, The Courier-Mail and southeast Queensland sister publications officially backed the bid with front-page editorials.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday announced Queensland was going for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, won over by projections showing billions of dollars extra would pour into the state economy and create another 129,000 jobs.
“We don’t want to waste time,” Mr Coates said.
“We want to make sure the early advantage that we clearly have, through the good work of SEQ Council of Mayors and now the good work of Queensland Government, through to the positive response of the Prime Minister, keeps us out there ahead of the field.
“We are in what the IOC calls a continuous dialogue phase where we talk to them about our planning. We’d like to move to the next phase that they have which is called a targeted dialogue phase.
“I will be in the IOC for the Youth Olympic Games in January and I pursuing that.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk described the Games as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” that would spur 130,000 jobs.
“It’s about fast-tracking investment. And it’s about inspiring the next generation of champions,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“This will be something everyone in Queensland can share in including being able to say ‘I went to an Olympic Games.’
“It’s been a pretty tough year with floods and bushfires and the drought. Isn’t it good to be able to end the year with something positive, something that has the potential to set this state up not just for the next 10 years but for the 10 years after that.”
Mr O’Brien said the first phase of committing the Games was over, with the next phase was preparing the best bid possible as soon as possible and presenting it to the IOC to keep Queensland’s advantage.
“We’ve jumped a hurdle and the next phase begins,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This is a Team Australia effort.
“And it’s wonderful to have not just the three tiers of government, but also different political stripes, all in on this as Team Queensland and Team Australia should be.”
Sunshine Coast Mayor and SEQ Council of Mayors delegate Mark Jamieson said it was “really just the end of the beginning”.
“The really hard work in terms of making the bid, having our bid accepted, and then getting on with the sort of economic transformation that will be possible between now and 2032 will be really intense,” Cr Jamieson said.
Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said the Games would be worth over $20 billion to the Queensland tourism industry.
“This is a downpayment for the for the next generation of Queenslanders,” Ms Jones said.
“It’s the chance for Queensland to shine on the world stage.”
Originally published as SEQ 2032 needs a leader for bidding company
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