REDLAND City will share the benefits should south east Queensland bid for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, says Mayor Karen Williams.
South east Queensland mayors say the region has the capacity and capability of staging and Olympic games.
They have released an Olympic Pre-feasibility Analysis Report for a potential bid to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Cr Williams backed the report although Logan Mayor Luke Smith was hesitant about the benefits for his region. It also remains unclear whether it would be Brisbane or the south east region which would put forward the bid.
Cr Williams said mayors endorsed the conclusions of the study commissioned by the Council of Mayors which found there were sufficient economic, social and cultural benefits for the region to warrant further investigation.
The report also highlighted the need for the region to be better equipped to meet growth challenges.
“This certainly also applies to the Redlands,’’ Cr Williams said. “This process is a perfect canvas for the SEQ Mayors to deliver great benefits for their regions because of our strong collaboration that you would not find in many parts of the world.
“Anything that shines the spotlight on SEQ shines it on the Redlands.’’
Cr Williams said the next stage would be to deliver a detailed work program to support SEQ growth, including a people mass movement study, a review of sporting and performing arts venues, and a full-blown Olympic feasibility study.
“Whether or not we progress to formally bid for the Games, the people mass movement study will be of great value as it will be aimed at getting people across regional boundaries,’’ Cr Williams said.
“People have been calling out for better transport infrastructure in the Redlands and across the region and this will be a great investment in our future.’’
Council of Mayors chairman Graham Quirk said all mayors were enthusiastic about the conclusions in the report.
“How we deal with the challenges of accommodating our increasing population, delivering the right infrastructure, improving our standard of living and growing our economy in a competitive global market will shape the future of SEQ in the decades to come,” Cr Quirk said.
“The report shows that an SEQ Olympics could be a significant opportunity for the region, but also exposed the need for all tiers of government to work together to create a road map for SEQ’s economic, social and cultural growth over the next 30 to 50 years.”
The report was conducted over 12 months and assessed the region’s ability to meet a number of high level pre-requisites for bidding and hosting a games.
A copy of the analysis is available at seqmayors.qld.gov.au.
