2032 SEQ Olympics Bid Won!

I congratulate all the Olympic athletes and medallists who have done us proud at the Tokyo Olympics. Special Moncrieff congratulations go to Chelsea Hodges, who won gold in the 4 x 100 medley relay and Cameron McEvoy for his bronze medal in the mixed 4 x 100 medley relay. I also congratulate Gold Coasters Emma McKeon, for gold in the 50 metre and 100 metre freestyle, 4 x100 relay and medley relay, and for her 100 metre butterfly bronze; and Logan Martin, whose spectacular BMX ride for gold took our breath away.

On the back of Tokyo we’ve recently heard the fantastic news—good news in the midst of a global pandemic—that the Gold Coast will be a co-host to 2032 South-East Queensland Olympic and Paralympic Games. I welcomed the announcement at the Kurrawa Surf Club in my electorate on 21 July, where I had the honour of representing the Australian government alongside the state government representative and the Gold Coast mayor. In my speech to Gold Coasters, who were on the lawn in front of the outdoor stage for the announcement, I said: ‘This is an historic moment for the Commonwealth of Australia, a generational opportunity for Queensland, and a moment of hope and aspiration for Gold Coasters.’ I thanked the International Olympic Committee for choosing South-East Queensland and I congratulated all those involved in the bid, including the Australian Olympic Committee.

The Morrison government, matched by Queensland, contributed $10 million to the bid. The member for Fairfax was the Prime Minister’s Olympic bid envoy—our secret weapon who led the charge when he travelled to Lausanne in Switzerland; our supreme high jumper, who cleared the bar; our champion hurdler, who jumped over all the obstacles; our flexible rockclimber, who navigated the unstable ground to make sure the biggest risk was averted. He made sure that the politics didn’t get in the way of the great vision of a South-East Queensland Olympics. The Gold Coast thanks the member for Fairfax and the Prime Minister for the work they did to deliver the 2032 Olympics bid.

What can the good people of the Gold Coast expect in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics? The Games of the XXXV Olympiad, with eight sports so far earmarked for the Gold Coast, will be approximately the same size as the 2018 Commonwealth Games. In addition to those eight sports in seven venues across the coast, in the plan there is a 2,600 bed athletes’ village in Robina and a media centre and broadcast studio hub in Broadbeach. The Olympics will once again showcase to the world the Gold Coast as a destination, featuring our lifestyle and, importantly, our ability to deliver world-class events. It will kickstart the next decade of forward planning for population growth and for jobs in construction, tourism and infrastructure such as light rail, heavy rail, upgrades to facilities and more. Once international borders open, it will attract teams from around the world for training camps that will fill our hotels, our small businesses, our attractions and of course our beaches. It will showcase the Gold Coast as an international sports capital and cement it as the Australian home of women’s sport. It will support and grow our local state and national economies. The lion’s share of events will be in Moncrieff, with the exception of indoor volleyball hosted in Coomera and football in Robina. In Moncrieff we will host beach volleyball at Kurrawa and Broadbeach, golf at Royal Pines Resort in Benowa, judo wrestling at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre in Carrara, triathlon and aquatics at Broadwater Parklands in Southport, and volleyball and weightlifting at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Broadbeach.

The Games of the XXXV Olympiad will inspire the next generation of youth into competitive sport. It will improve physical and mental health and promote sports and physical activity. It will further enhance partnerships with and development for First Nations peoples and will promote Australia’s cultural values of diversity, equality and human rights around the world. In 2032 Australia, Queensland and the Gold Coast will see their children and grandchildren compete for gold on the world stage—at home. The Gold Coast schoolchildren of today will follow in the footsteps of the giant Gold Coast Olympians before them: Glynnis Nunn, Duncan Free, Sally Pearson and Grant Hackett, to name just a few. Gold Coast kids will grow up with the goal of competing in their chosen sport on their home territory to win a medal for team Australia—what a dream!