Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics will produce extensive beneficial impacts for Queensland and the nation, including economic, infrastructure, cultural, social, and environmental legacies;

(2) acknowledges that the local, state and Commonwealth governments have made a considerable effort to plan and prepare according to the International Olympic Committee's new norms; and

(3) recognises the diligence in planning for a lasting beneficial legacy for Brisbane, Queensland, and our nation from hosting the Olympic and Paralympic events.

We know the world doesn't stop for sport, but every four years the Olympic and Paralympic Games give us the opportunity to focus on something outside of our everyday concerns and worries and to feel we're part of something bigger, something special and something noble. The Olympics and Paralympics are multicultural melting pots of elite talent from every corner of the globe, and in less than eight years time Brisbane and Queensland will proudly host these events.

The Olympics and Paralympics are stages for the ultimate drama. There are charismatic personalities, fascinating backstories, heartwarming displays of sportsmanship, heartbreak when it goes wrong and the joy and celebration of triumph, whether that triumph is making the final, achieving a personal best or even winning gold, silver or bronze. When the games are over we are left with wonderful memories. In the case of Brisbane 2032, memories won't be all we take away from the games. As a member of the Brisbane 2032 board, I can confirm the Brisbane Games will leave a lasting beneficial legacy for not only Brisbane and South-East Queensland but all of Queensland and, in fact, all of the nation. The games are being organised with the new norms of the International Olympic Committee front of mind. The 2032 organisers describe it this way: they're determined to make the games fit into the host city and region, not the other way around.

A key part of this is the 2032 legacy strategy, called Elevate 2042. This strategy includes feedback from more than 14,000 submissions during a year of community consultation. This resulted in four focus areas in preparing for the Olympics: health and inclusion, connecting people and places, a better future for our environment and an economy of the future. Brisbane 2032 is being planned accordingly. We're looking at a 20-year pipeline of economic benefits from the games, starting with direct benefits for local businesses by engaging them to update existing infrastructure—part of the new norm for the Olympics.

I'll be in Cairns in a few weeks time—an Olympic city—looking at some of their infrastructure. The games are tipped to create more than 90,000 jobs in Queensland and 120,000 nationally. Businesses in all cities hosting events will benefit—obviously Brisbane but also the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns and even Sydney and Melbourne. People living in and visiting these cities will benefit for years, including prior to the games, from improved sporting and event venues, more efficient public transport and, in South-East Queensland, increased capacity for road and rail corridors.

An expected 3.6 million international visitors are predicted to visit our shores for the games. This will deliver a forecast $4.6 billion boom for tourism in Queensland and $8.5 billion across Australia. It will build upon Australia's image as a safe, politically stable, wonderful destination to visit. There are also social and cultural benefits of hosting the games, like the opportunity to showcase the arts, our musicians, our artists and our performers from high-school level right through to some world-renowned performers. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the world's oldest living culture, with First Nations experiences and perspectives throughout.

The games are a platform to boost and inspire community participation, an active lifestyle and sport, something I'm particularly passionate about as co-chair of the Parliamentary Friends—or enemies—of Diabetes group. There are plans to promote active travel to events. Brisbane will promote climate-positive events with low-emissions public transport for all athlete movements.

The Albanese Labor government is investing $3.5 billion into Brisbane 2032 infrastructure, seizing this generational opportunity to bring forward plan development in time for the games and to leave a lasting legacy for the community afterwards. It's important to note that the Queensland government is working to ensure costs remain within agreed funding levels. Their focus, as it should be, is on the community benefit of being the host city and then 10 years after.

I'd like to finish by congratulating the 2024 Olympic Games team members on their fantastic efforts in Paris. I'm looking forward to cheering on the Australian Paralympic team when competition starts on 28 August. The one benefit I haven't mentioned yet is the inspiration these athletes have given young Australians. Many will already be training—in the pool, on the track, on BMX circuits and on courts—and dreaming of emulating the feats of their heroes in eight years time. We look forward to cheering them on in LA and then in Brisbane, Queensland in 2032.

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