House debates Questions without Notice
Brisbane Olympic Games: Redevelopment
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith, Australian Greens
2:49 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Prime Minister, you have said you support the $2.7 billion Gabba demolition and rebuild, which will see the destruction of a local public school and park and the resuming of homes. Why did the federal government commit $3.4 billion to the Olympics without first demanding the Queensland government drop the destructive Gabba demolition? Can you explain to the families of East Brisbane State School and the residents of Kangaroo Point why you support destroying their public school and park?
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
2:50 pm
I'll tell you what we do support. We support Brisbane hosting the Olympics. We support that unapologetically, and that's why we are building a major centre. That won't just be about the Olympics, though. What the Brisbane arena will be about is giving the people of South-East Queensland and, indeed, the entire nation a venue that will be used not just for the Olympics, a venue that will be used for decades to come. That is what we're about. We're about supporting the jobs that are there in a real way. We are about making sure that we get this policy right. And, just as Melbourne continues to benefit from hosting the 1956 Games, and Sydney continues to benefit from hosting the 2000 Games, Brisbane and, indeed, the whole of Queensland will benefit, including from the 19 separate projects that we will provide funding for—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
including right throughout regional Queensland, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba—
Milton Dick Speaker
The member for Solomon is warned.
The member for Bean is warned.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
North Queensland, Central Queensland and Far North Queensland. They will all benefit from that.
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith, Australian Greens
Opposition members interjecting—
Milton Dick Speaker
Order! The members on my left will cease interjecting. The Prime Minister was talking about redevelopment and the Olympics, which is what the question was about, but I'll give the member for Griffith the benefit of the doubt and hear his point of order.
Max Chandler-Mather Griffith, Australian Greens
My point of order is on relevance, Mr Speaker. We just want an answer on the support for destroying the school. That's all the parents and kids want to hear about.
Milton Dick Speaker
Resume your seat. For the member for Griffith's benefit: you can't rewrite the question when you take a point of order. You've asked your question. The Prime Minister is being directly relevant.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
I support the Olympics. We on this side of the parliament, the government, support the Olympics. The Queensland state government support the Olympics. I think there is bipartisan support for the Olympics. It's a good thing. It's a good thing for our economy, but it's more important than that as well. Already there are youngsters around who will be inspired—
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
to compete in the lead-up to the 2032 Games.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
It will give inspiration to the athletes of tomorrow to aim for that, just as we saw in the year 2000 such an enormous benefit from—
Milton Dick Speaker
The member for Barker and the member for Macnamara are both warned.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister
We saw the extraordinary benefit from the 2000 Olympics. We also, by the way, support the World Cup football that we'll be hosting with New Zealand in a few months time—the third-most-watched event on the globe. After the football World Cup for men and the Olympics is the football World Cup for women. All of these big events do require an investment, but they produce a return. And I'll make this tip: there'll be Greens MPs queuing up for tickets if any of them are around at the time.