Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

From November 2022 to February 2023, I ran a survey across my electorate of Brisbane, and I thank the 713 residents who took the time to share their views and have their say, particularly around the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The survey asked some simple questions: how do you feel about Brisbane hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and why do you feel this way; do you have any suggestions for ways the government can ensure the games have a positive legacy for Brisbane residents; and do you think that all infrastructure built with public money for the games should remain in public hands?

On multiple occasions, respondents indicated their concern regarding the impact of the games on housing affordability, an issue that continues to be brought up with my office by constituents. Between the 1980s and the 2010s, Summer Olympics related developments displaced more than two million people. There's a long history of 'city cleansing' in the lead-up to international events, as happened in Brisbane during the 2014 G20 meeting and on the Gold Coast during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. As a result of Expo 88, house prices in South Brisbane rose by 238 per cent in the 11 years before the event. That same trend has occurred in Olympic host cities around the world, and, given Australia's current housing crisis, this is extremely concerning. The 2032 games could provide an opportunity for the government to tackle the housing crisis head on by investing in publicly owned housing, by cracking down on short-term stays like Airbnbs and by capping rent increases.

The Brisbane community overwhelmingly agreed that any infrastructure built for the games with public money should be kept in public hands. The athletes village, for example, will host 10,000 athletes and team officials for the Olympics and more than 5,000 for the Paralympics, all inside the Brisbane electorate. So, rather than selling off this housing, like we saw in Sydney and on the Gold Coast, this housing should be turned into beautiful, accessible, publicly-owned housing for anyone who needs it. My office is currently running a petition calling on the government to do just that, so, please, add your name to it.

Our communities expect transparency in government, but neither the Labor state government nor the LNP city council have provided transparency around Brisbane's Olympic bid—or the planning that has been carried out since, for that matter. In fact, council held a closed-door meeting when they voted in favour of hosting the games, locking the public out and keeping the details private. This was the first closed-door meeting in 15 years, and the last time this happened was for the Clem7—a project now infamous in Brisbane, and one that went bankrupt. Compare this to Germany, where they held a referendum in the two cities that were considering hosting the games, Munich and Hamburg, and both cities' residents voted no.

In 2019, the Queensland government commissioned multinational accounting and advisory firm KPMG to analyse the economic impact of the games. It was initially estimated that the games would provide $7.4 billion worth of quantifiable economic benefits. Flash forward to May 2021: this figure was increased to $8.1 billion, but $3.5 billion of that was for ambiguous social benefits like 'health', 'prestige' and 'civic pride'. In November of last year it was revealed that the original $1 billion cost for the redevelopment of the Gabba stadium was not actually based on any business case or viability investigation; it just came from a press release put out by the state government. The Premier then announced that her government would assume control of the games' infrastructure projects and scrap the planned independent body, the Olympic coordination authority. This is extremely alarming and further entrenches a lack of transparent decision-making and community consultation.

Now, Brisbane residents should be excited by the 2032 Olympic Games. But we have to ensure that they are done right. Holding closed-door meetings, abolishing independent oversight bodies and making up cost shortfalls with 'civic pride' will not ensure a positive legacy for our city. We need an open and transparent Olympics, real investment in public infrastructure and housing and to ensure that anything built with public money remains in public hands.

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