Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today absolutely thrilled that the $10 million investment that the Morrison government has made in the Olympics bid has pushed South-East Queensland one step further towards hosting the next Olympic Games. The 2032 Olympics is an amazing opportunity for the Gold Coast. Of course we have a rich history on the Gold Coast of producing world-class athletes and Olympians—and swimmers. We have surfing, which is now an Olympic sport, cycling and many other sports across the Gold Coast. Our sons and daughters have won gold, silver and bronze. We've produced world champions on the Gold Coast.

The lead-up to this event itself is a huge promotional opportunity. It's a showcase for the Gold Coast, for tourism, for events and, of course, for other businesses like small businesses, more so than any other city because we are merely getting the word out on what our city and region offers. We're not starting from scratch. We're building on the legacy of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. We have the facilities and experience in hosting many sports already, including at Metricon Stadium, which is in the seat of Moncrieff, in my seat, where we saw the opening of the 2018 Commonwealth Games. I watched the track and field events at Metricon Stadium. Those facilities are already in place, and we welcome the opportunity for more infrastructure, such as fast rail from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and of course a 10,000-seat stadium, which we desperately need on the Gold Coast. We've got a 3,000 seater and a 30,000 seater, but we don't have a 10,000 seater, and we need that for sports such as women's AFL. The marathon would be an event that could be hosted on the Gold Coast. The last Gold Coast Marathon went past my house, actually. It was quite a spectacle. We sat at the coffee shop, and we watched marathon runners from all over the world run down the foreshore, and it was absolutely spectacular.

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