LNP’s Brisbane 2032 Games plan still 100 days away
It would be longer than 100 days before Queenslanders know an LNP government’s plan for Brisbane’s Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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It would be longer than 100 days before Queenslanders know an LNP government’s plan for Brisbane’s Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a promised review unable to start until staff are appointed to an independent infrastructure authority.
But David Crisafulli has vowed to release the findings of his government’s 100-day review in full once completed.
The LNP, on track to sweep to power on Saturday, has promised to have an independent infrastructure authority – officially the Games Venue and Legacy Delivery Authority – fully functioning in the first month.
The authority would be in charge of the 100-day review but would first need a permanent chief executive and seven independent directors.
The LNP has also committed to having at least one regional Queensland representative on the authority.
It means the recommendations could be handed down in March, nearly a year to the day since Premier Steven Miles rejected the findings of a 60-day independent review that called for a $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park.
The infrastructure review’s recommended $3.4bn new stadium was ditched by Mr Miles who instead decided to spruce up the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre at Nathan for $1.6bn.
Mr Crisafulli has said the recommendations of the new review would be accepted if it aligned with the terms of reference, which will include no new stadiums and a focus on transport.
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The LNP has already confirmed it will drop the QSAC option, with Mr Crisafulli previously saying the prospects for the venue were “zilch”, while leaving the door open to a rebuild of the Gabba stadium.
He said “of course” the report would be released in full.
“If that report isn’t released in full, Queenslanders will continue to fear an embarrassment on the world stage, and I want Queenslanders to be proud of the opportunity of the Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.
“Our focus is on that generational infrastructure.”
The LNP leader, in the final days of the election campaign, also reiterated a vow to build a critical rail line for the Sunshine Coast all the way to Maroochydore by 2032, despite a business case finding this would not be possible in the time left.
“(If that doesn’t happen) you’d have the Olympic and Paralympic Games without a legacy piece, and you’d have a community called Caloundra that becomes a carpark,” Mr Crisafulli said.
He was adamant the Sunshine Coast rail line could be built to Maroochydore by the Games.
This was despite the summary business case revealing the full 37km rail line would cost at least $12bn, and would take a decade or more to build even when working across multiple work fronts at the same time.
The business case ultimately suggested the first stage of the line be built as far as Birtinya by 2032, but the state government ruled the risks – particularly around engineering sensitivities to avoid environmental challenges – made Caloundra the better option.
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Originally published as LNP’s Brisbane 2032 Games plan still 100 days away
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