Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand here today as a proud five-time Olympian. There is no greater feeling of pride than representing your country at an Olympic Games in a sport which you have dedicated your entire life to. The only thing that could possibly beat this feeling is being able to do it at a home Olympics. Unfortunately, I didn't get this experience—I just missed out on qualification for the 2000 Sydney Olympics—but I'm incredibly excited for the future crop of athletes who will have the honour and privilege of representing their country on home soil at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

We're a nation that admires and idolises our sporting and Olympic heroes. Our athletes deserve their chance to feel this admiration at a home Olympic Games, and they deserve to have their friends and family supporting them in their own backyard. We've all just witnessed the Olympic Games in Paris. Many of us stayed up until all hours of the night cheering on athletes. The games dominated our TV screens, took over our newspapers and became a part of most conversations with our loved ones and our workmates. There's something truly special about the Olympic Games that unites us and brings together people from all walks of life, regardless of their differences.

The Australian people deserve the chance to witness iconic Olympic moments right in front of them, to pack the Olympic aquatic centre, the track and field stadium and, hopefully, the shooting range to cheer on athletes to gold medals. Going to the games, let alone winning an Olympic or Paralympic medal, is the stuff that dreams are made of. The best part is that, in 2032, this is all going to happen on home soil. That is why, as a government, we continue to work closely with the Queensland government on the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.

There are a lot of benefits that can come from being the host of the Olympic Games, and it's so important that we use the next eight years to make sure that we're able to make the most of these benefits. The social benefits of the games are estimated to be worth $3.5 billion for Queensland and up to $9.1 billion nationally. The economic benefits are going to be huge. By looking at countries who have previously hosted the Olympic Games, we have seen that the international tourism to host cities and the nation as a whole jumps not only during the Olympics and Paralympics, but before and after the games as well. We expect this to be the case in Brisbane as a result of the games in 2032. The games are expected to attract 3.6 million international visitors. The games are also a massive generator of jobs. The games are expected to generate more than 90,000 jobs per year in Queensland and more than 120,000 jobs per year nationally. The 10-year lead-up to and legacy of the games together are forecast to generate increased international tourism and trade, with $4.6 billion for Queensland and $8.5 billion for the nation.

The games are a win for everyone. We are committed to making the 2032 Olympic Games the most successful ever. We want to support athletes to achieve great sporting success through high-performance systems and focus on getting more Aussies up on the podium. We also know that, if the games are going to be a success, we need to make sure we build world-class facilities. That's why we are committing up to $3.4 billion for venue infrastructure projects to support the games. We want to remain the No. 1 supporter of these games by being a funding partner in delivering games venues in time for 2032 to make sure it's an Olympics to remember. I also want to note that the Queensland government is prioritising community benefits whilst ensuring costs remain within the agreed funding envelope of $7.1 billion, to be shared between the state and Commonwealth governments, which is important in making these games successful.

2032 is a long way away, and there's a lot of work to be done. But I'm confident we'll host one of the greatest Olympic Games of our lifetimes. I can't wait for the 2032 Olympic Games. We've heard many newspaper reports and reports on the TV saying that we are behind time. We're this; we're that. We're not going to have the best games ever. Look at Sydney. We had all the naysayers saying the exact same things before the Sydney Olympics. The Sydney Olympics was one of the best Olympics that has ever been held anywhere in the world, and I can guarantee you that Brisbane will be the same. To the naysayers saying this won't happen and that it'll never get there, shame on you. Shame on all of you! We're Australians. We're proud of our sporting success, and we will continue to show our sporting success all the way. Let's get behind the 2032 Olympics and show the world what Aussies can do. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi!

See this speech in context