Rocky waters ahead for Brisbane 2032’s Olympic rowing plan

Premier David Crisafulli made a very good point last week when defending his government’s decision to host Olympic rowing on Rockhampton’s mighty Fitzroy River.

It just wasn’t the point he thought he was making.

“Rocky has been home to rowing championships for a long time,” he said last Tuesday during a stop in the central Queensland city.

Rowing on the Fitzroy River in RockhamptonCredit: Rockhampton Regional Council

“If it’s good enough for the kids of Central Queensland to compete in there, it’s definitely good enough for Pierre from Paris to compete there.”

That would be a terrific argument to make if Pierre from Paris, or any other stereotypical alliteration the premier could come up with, was competing in the Rockhampton City Regatta.

Of course, it’s good enough for the kids of Central Queensland – they’re not racing to set world records and add to their nation’s medal tally.

This is the Olympic Games, not a school carnival.

The original plans for Wyaralong Dam in the Scenic Rim, obtained through Right to Information legislation, which was originally slated to host rowing in 2032.Credit: GIICA RTI

Crocodiles aside, the main issue for Rockhampton is the Fitzroy River’s currents. As a flowing body of water, it will struggle to meet the technical specifications required for an Olympic Games.

“...The main issue for rowing is fairness, so obviously if there’s stream, typically the deeper or the middle section of the river is going to flow faster than the sides of it,” Rowing Australia chief executive Sarah Cook told me in March.

“Because a rowing course is eight to 10 lanes wide, it would make the middle lanes faster than the outside lanes, which is why it can’t be used for an Olympic regatta or a Paralympic regatta, because it would be unfair for the competitors.”

The minister responsible for Olympic infrastructure, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, repeated the clearly workshopped “Pierre from Paris” line at last week’s Queensland Media Club lunch, where the new intergovernmental funding agreement was announced.

Dismissing rowing’s concerns, Bleijie pointed to the 2028 Olympic rowing venue as a justification for Rockhampton’s controversial candidature.

“In LA, the rowing facility does not meet the International Olympic Committee requirements – it’s too short,” he said.

“But you know what they did? They just said, for LA it’ll be OK and they signed off on it. So they do bend the rules for other venues.”

For Rowing Australia life member and historian Andrew Guerin, Los Angeles was a poor comparison to make.

“The 2028 LA course is probably the worst ever used as it is shorter than normal and subject to tidal streams. All racing will have to held on the turn of high tide to minimise the impacts,” he said.

“Rocky is one step worse combining, as I understand, both stream and tide. I’ve got no idea how that can be managed.”

Guerin said the Rocky course had little by way tide and stream mitigation, which made it difficult to control and create a fair course.

And it’s also prone to flooding.

Then-prime minister Julia Gillard flying over the flooded Fitzroy River in 2011.Credit: AFP

At the Queensland Media Club event on Thursday, Bleijie described the Fitzroy River surface as a “mirror”.

But, last August, the planned State School Championships in Rockhampton had to be relocated due to heavy rain and flash flooding. The 2032 Olympics will be held from July 23 to August 8 – about the same time of year.

It’s a risky choice.

As Olympic Games executive director Christophe Dubi said during a May visit to Brisbane, the decision on whether to host rowing on the Fitzroy will ultimately not be the government’s to make, but World Rowing.

“No one else than the federation can say ‘field of play ready’,” he said.

While political hypocrisy is about as common as gambling in a casino, it’s always good to call out.

Before the election, Crisafulli and his LNP colleagues repeatedly promised to take the politics out of planning and listen to the experts.

So what did the people with expertise say about the Fitzroy River?

“This option was not progressed on the basis of insufficient space for field of play and warm-up, inadequate onshore space and access road upgrade requirements, as well as limited accommodation options for athletes and officials,” the Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority determined in its 100-day review.

The Crisafulli government ignored GIICA, running roughshod over decision-making process and overseeing the most nakedly political Games decision since Brisbane won hosting rights in 2021.

The LNP claimed the electorate of Rockhampton at last year’s state election, and holds it with a margin of less than 2 per cent. If you don’t think that played a role in the Crisafulli government’s decision, then I’d be happy to sell you the Fitzroy Bridge.

Crisafulli quite rightly criticised the former Labor government’s Olympic mismanagement, from Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ill-informed captain’s call to rebuild the Gabba to Steven Miles’ embarrassing QSAC gambit.

But by repeating the same mistakes, albeit on a far less consequential scale, the LNP has demonstrated it’s just as willing to play politics with the Olympic Games as its predecessors.

“We’re not for turning on this,” Crisafulli said last week of the Fitzroy River decision.

Well they should be.

The new(ish) LNP government’s Olympic delivery plan has largely been met with enthusiasm, even if some venues attract vocal critics.

But they didn’t do what they promised and listen to the experts. And there’s every chance World Rowing, via the International Olympic Committee, will do just that and take the decision out of the LNP’s hands.

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