Question 1 - Community consultation for the Olympics:
Amy: While other cities around the world have held people’s votes to determine community consent for hosting the Olympics, what community consultation has happened with respect to the 2032 Olympics, and what resources are being allocated to community consultation going forward?
Answer from Premier:
I thank the member for South Brisbane for the question. I think there has been a lot of public awareness that Queensland is on the cusp of securing the Olympics. I think it has been broadly in the media: it has been through newspapers, it has been through radio, it has been through television. There have been a number of steps. When I accompanied a delegation to Lausanne where we met with Thomas Bach, the president of Olympic Committee, to hear exactly what Queensland was offering and it was received quite favourably, that received a lot of publicity back here.
As to the second part of your question in terms of post Olympics, I cannot pre-empt the International Olympic Committee. We will have to wait till next Wednesday night to see that final vote. If we are successful, then I want all of Queensland to share in that Olympic glory. I want it to be a games for all of Queensland. Of course part of that would be by way of our Buy Local program, as much local procurement as possible and to really make sure that every part of Queensland—regional and Western Queensland—gets to share in what the Olympics would mean. We saw how it transformed Sydney. It has transformed other world-class cities like Barcelona. I think it has the opportunity to firmly put Queensland on the international world stage.
Question 2 - Olympics and local housing affordability
Amy: What modelling is the government planning to conduct on the cost of housing, rent and rates for existing residents in suburbs neighbouring the Gabba stadium, including Woolloongabba, Kangaroo Point and East Brisbane?
Answer from Premier:
If we are successful in hosting the games—it is over a decade away—I think what you will see is the transformation of the city, the transformation of the plans that we have preliminarily released for the Gabba. Shortly we will be releasing the plans for the Brisbane Live in terms of what that could potentially look like. I think there will be a lot of uplift probably around those areas. You would envisage that if Brisbane and Queensland are successful in getting the hosting rights. In terms of housing, I think you have seen our government’s commitment to ensuring that we do have adequate housing for people and that people be given an opportunity to have a roof over their head, which is why we have announced so much funding in our housing plan in the budget.
Question 3 - Raymond Park as a warm up track
Amy:
The plan to turn Raymond Park In Kangaroo Point into a warm-up track will displace a very well used park, and sportfield used by the Kangaroo Point Rovers. If this plan goes ahead, what plans are there to accommodate the Kangaroo Point Rovers locally, and deliver other greenspace and sports facilities to the Kangaroo Point and East Brisbane community, and what resources have been put towards consultation?
Answer from Minister for Sport: If the member does not mind a little bit of context around the use of Raymond Park, if Brisbane, Queensland and Australia are successful in obtaining the rights to host the games in 2032, just as in any major Olympics there is a need for athletes to warm up before they actually compete so there is a need for warm-up tracks for both track and field athletics.
Also it has been used historically, that area, for staging for the opening and closing ceremony. Obviously if Brisbane win that right next week there will be a lot of time for planning and consultation. The early works have been undertaken in terms of the temporary-only use of Raymond Park during the games. Usually the IOC has a requirement of around 12 weeks to ensure that facilities are able to be used for the games. We do envisage for that year in 2032 that there may be a request from international federations to hold their world championships in Brisbane, Queensland.
World Athletics with Seb Coe may make that application so at that stage we will be investigating whether for a world championships there is a need to actually procure and transfer Raymond Park into that warm-up facility or whether it will only be used in the three months leading up to the games. As you correctly point out in your question, we are only at the early design phase for the whole of a number of the Olympic venues and there will be detailed consultation with members of the community and those who may be impacted, albeit only on a temporary basis, leading up to the games and then soon after before they are then transferred back to being a community facility.
Question 4 - Protecting East Brisbane State School
Amy:
As part of planning for infrastructure associated with the 2032 Olympics, can you guarantee the protection of East Brisbane State School and what investigations have been made into establishing QEII Stadium as the main stadium?
Answer from Director-General of Department of State Development:
In terms of the detailed planning for delivery of the Olympic Games in 2032, that is being led by a group outside of this department. We will certainly contribute towards that in due course and ensure that we are getting the best possible outcomes in terms of the infrastructure delivery, but the detail relating to the East Brisbane State School is a matter for the 2032 Taskforce as it currently stands.
Amy:
Is there a time frame in terms of getting feedback from that task force?
Answer from Director of Department of State Development:
For the work itself—and, again, it is outside of my area—what I would say is 2032 is some way away. There will need to be a significant amount of planning that needs to be done and I can only imagine that that work is currently underway, but I could not advise what the time frames would be.
Question 5 - Green Bridges
Amy:
In preparing for the South East Queensland City Deal and for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, what consideration has the government given to co-funding the green bridges that are proposed from West End to Toowong and West End to St Lucia by the Brisbane City Council?
Answer from DG of Department of Transport:
Those projects are Brisbane City Council and nothing to do with the department.
Amy:
So there are no plans to co-fund those projects, as the Brisbane City Council have expressed that they will require state assistance for those projects to go ahead?
Answer from DG of Department of Transport:
As my minister pointed out, city deals are not under my control. I am sorry that I cannot really assist the member further than that.
Question 6 - CityGlider
Amy:
Now that the 2032 Olympic Games have been locked in, what work has the government undertaken to progress the Gold CityGlider service proposed by the Brisbane City Council running from Hamilton to Woolloongabba?
Answer from DG of Department of Transport:
As far as the planning being undertaken for the bid, a lot of that is actually in the public domain and so are the corridors. I hope the committee is aware that there are three athletes villages proposed. Fortunately, we have got 85 per cent of the venues already available so the planning will continue apace now that we have been very successful in winning that bid. As to the Gold CityGlider, I have got no specific information on that which I can help the committee with today. As the planning unfolds, it will not be just CityGliders; it is also the investment work we are making in light rail, it is the investment on Cross River Rail, it is the investment moving forward to make sure we are ready for the games. I suppose one of the fortunate things is we are 11 years away so there is a long time to get ready. As to that specific project, I am not aware of any progress we have made in relation to the Olympics.