Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

Australians and Queenslanders, in particular, are excited by the International Olympic Committee announcing that South-East Queensland is the preferred bidder for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics. This decision means that we are now a step closer to hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, with the IOC entering into exclusive negotiations with Queensland for the 2032 event. The announcement is a game-changing development for the bid, which has long been supported by all levels of government. Since the government announced its support for the bid in 2019, we've been working with the Queensland government, the councils of South-East Queensland as well as the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia to put forward the best possible bid for South-East Queensland in 2032. Not only will this event add a new chapter in Australia's sporting history, as it did with Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000; it will also deliver an economic boost for jobs in Queensland and in Australia.

The announcement from the IOC is a positive development, but we still have a lot of work to do. The Australian government will, over coming weeks and months, continue to work closely and cooperatively with the bid partners during the exclusive negotiation period. We want to make sure that we don't miss this golden opportunity for South-East Queensland, for all of Queensland and, indeed, for all of Australia.