Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Ryan, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the Queensland State Government has not meaningfully engaged with the people of Brisbane, or with urban planning and architecture experts, on its plans for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games;

(b) urban planning and architecture experts are calling for an independent oversight committee and panel of architects and planners to help set a cohesive and coordinated framework and list of goals, as well as the establishment of a master plan; and

(c) the Brisbane 2032 Olympics Games are an opportunity to leave a lasting and positive impact for the regular people of Brisbane, not just deliver profits for property developers; and

(2) calls on the Commonwealth Government to work with the Queensland State Government and Brisbane City Council to:

(a) ensure genuinely affordable and public housing is delivered as part of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics legacy;

(b) undertake a review of the entire Brisbane public transport network; and

(c) meaningfully engage with the people of Brisbane and with urban planning and architecture experts for the construction of a master plan for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.

Incredible pole vaulting—that's what the Olympics should be about, not skyrocketing rents. Having a few drinks with mates and watching the gold-medal soccer match is what the Olympics should be about, not pushing house prices up even further and shutting more people out of the housing market. Taking your whole family to see Australia win gold in the Olympic swimming and it not breaking the bank is what the games should be about, not privatising huge chunks of inner-city land for developer profits. The Olympics should be about the people of Brisbane. They should be about us not about money or profits.

But right now Labor and the Liberals are doing just that—delivering an Olympics that'll make enormous profits for developers and wealthy property investors at the expense of the rest of us. The Queensland government has already sold off huge chunks of prime inner-city land, abolished social-housing requirements and reduced our public parkland. Every second property investor mag is talking about how the Olympics will drive up house prices. What I'm calling for is an Olympics for the people—a games that you can afford, that Brisbane can afford—not a bonanza for the megawealthy.

Brisbane, we deserve an opportunity to dream big. The Brisbane Olympic Games should be our opportunity to imagine a better city for all of us. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our city—a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver a world-class public-transport system, to build public and affordable housing for our growing city and to provide more public parkland and better sporting facilities to shape the next generation of Olympians. Locals should be able to afford to attend these games, and locals should be the ones to enjoy the investment and the legacy that an Olympics can bring. That's the kind of vision the Olympics should provide for our city.

That is not happening. Right now locals are an afterthought. Wealthy property investors are already using the Olympics as an excuse to drive up house prices. Large parts of the city are being privatised, and events will be way too expensive for many families. Profits are being put before people. The Paris Olympics delivered 50 kilometres of new bike paths linking different parts of the city. The Montreal Olympics delivered 20 kilometres of new metro lines, growing the city's public transport system. The Barcelona Olympics delivered a significant rehabilitation of industrial areas and created beaches, leisure areas and a marina for the people. There's no reason why Brisbane couldn't aim even higher. That's why I'm co-hosting the Olympics for the People Summit on 28 February 2026. This summit is our opportunity to come together and work out what locals, not the property industry, want the Brisbane Olympics to be. They need it to be a legacy.

We need to work out and discuss how we fight for that, to build a shared vision for Brisbane. That's what it's going to take: the community coming together to push back against the wholesale handover of public assets and opportunities to private capital—against the venality of the property industry. We already have a lasting example of what an historic, community campaign can win for Brisbane: South Bank. One of the ongoing legacies of Expo 88 is the beloved South Bank precinct. The original plan was to sell that entire site to developers for wall-to-wall high-rise development, instead of creating public parkland. The only reason South Bank exists as it does today—a remarkable, free, accessible public parkland and recreation area right in the centre of the city—is that the community came together to fight back against private development. The community has done it once and we can do it again.

The legacy of Expo 88 is one of the most iconic locations in Brisbane. What will our legacy for the Olympic Games be? Join me on 28 February, and let's build that vision together.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The countdown to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games is well and truly underway. What we do between now and then will shape not only the success of the games themselves but the legacy we leave for generations of Queenslanders.

I'm proud to say that the Albanese government is meeting this moment with ambition, partnership and responsibility. We are delivering the largest contribution towards sporting infrastructure in Australian history. This once-in-a-generation investment is designed to ensure the Brisbane 2032 Games are world class, community focused and built to stand the test of time. Just like the Matildas, we're not going to stop 'til it's done.

Our capped $3.4 billion commitment to the Games Venue Infrastructure Program has now been formally agreed with the Queensland government. Under our agreement, the Commonwealth and Queensland governments will work together to deliver 17 new or upgraded venues plus the construction for a new stadium. These projects stretch from Cairns in the Far North, through regional Queensland, right down to the Gold Coast. This will be a truly statewide Games with statewide benefits.

Our joint funding will deliver the National Aquatic Centre, an expanded Queensland Tennis Centre, a new Toowoomba Equestrian Centre and a dedicated para sport centre in Chandler. We are supporting indoor sports centres in Logan and Moreton Bay, upgrades to the Sunshine Coast Stadium and major improvements to Barlow Park in Cairns. Thanks to our investment, procurement of these projects can now get under way, giving local industry certainty and creating jobs.

Of course, this builds on the work we've already done, including our investments in the Redland Whitewater Centre, the Brisbane International Shooting Centre and the world-class Anna Meares Velodrome. These aren't just Olympic venues. These are community assets—places where kids can learn to swim, where clubs can train, where families can gather and where future champions will take their first steps.

But let me be clear: while we're proud to make this investment, we are not handing over a blank cheque. Every dollar of Commonwealth funding must stack up. This is why we require robust project validation before final funding is confirmed. We're doing our due diligence to ensure that every project is delivered on time, on budget, in a way that represents genuine value to taxpayers. For the Brisbane Stadium in particular we have set strong conditions. The Queensland government and Brisbane City Council must develop a new precinct plan for the Victoria Park area that prioritises access to green space, supports local amenity and includes a comprehensive stakeholder engagement plan. They must also produce a transport connectivity plan to ensure the precinct is accessible, sustainable and efficient during the Games and beyond.

We know there are a range of views among Brisbane residents about the idea of a stadium in Victoria Park, and that's understandable. Victoria Park is a cherished open space with a long history. That is precisely why our funding conditions emphasise a genuine consultation with local residents, with First Nations communities and with all stakeholders who will be affected. The community must be heard and respected as these decisions are made.

In the past couple of months we have also signed a new intergovernmental agreement with the Crisafulli government, setting out how our two governments can work together to deliver the games. This agreement outlines the conditions under which Commonwealth funds can be used—including requirements to maintain stakeholder and community support—to deliver comprehensive engagement for the Victoria Park precinct and to ensure the Commonwealth representation on the Brisbane 2032 Olympics organising committee board. This is what responsible government looks like: partnering with the state, ensuring transparency and making sure that Australians get the greatest possible benefit from this historic opportunity. And, of course, our commitment to the games builds on the $12.4 billion the Albanese government is already investing in Queensland transport projects that will keep people moving during the games and for decades after. That includes $7.2 billion to upgrade the Bruce Highway, faster rail from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, and stage 1 of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project.

The Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games will be a defining national moment, but, more importantly, the games will shape the Queensland that we pass on to the future generations. Together with the Queensland government, we are working to deliver the venues, the transport links and the community facilities that will serve our state long after these games have gone. When all levels of government work together, we can cross the finish line and deliver. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and we are determined to get it right.

Sophie Scamps (Mackellar, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in support of the motion brought on by the member for Ryan, and I thank the member for bringing this really important issue to the House. Brisbane and Australia have a huge opportunity ahead with the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic games. But with that opportunity comes a responsibility to plan well, to plan transparently and to plan with the people who will live with the outcomes and the infrastructure long after the closing ceremony.

We don't have to look far to understand what happens when Olympic planning goes wrong. Images of abandoned venues around the world are haunting reminders—vast structures, built at enormous expense, now rusting and empty. In Beijing the iconic birds nest dazzled during the games but has struggled ever since and is largely unused. Athens had little in the way of legacy planning, and many of its venues slipped almost immediately into disuse and disrepair. Even here, in Australia, Sydney's own Olympic Park offers lessons. Despite the excitement and the civic pride of the 2000 games, planning for post games was inadequate, and it was a heavily car-dependent destination from the outset. These shortcomings weren't inevitable but were the result of decisions made without deep community engagement or long-term vision. But there are positive examples too. London's planning for the 2012 games showed what's possible when you start early, listen carefully and think long term. Their games drove major regeneration; accelerated a city-wide transformation that was already underway; and engaged best-practice, environmentally sustainable development. Barcelona did the same for 1992, investing the majority of its funds not in sport but in lasting improvements to the city, successfully integrating a mega-event into long-term urban policy and planning. This led to a sustained economic and cultural benefit for the local community.

There are already concerning signs that Brisbane may be missing the opportunity not just to host a great games but to improve the city for decades. Brisbane's initial commitment to host the world's first climate positive Olympic Games has been quietly watered down already, with the phrase 'climate positive' removed from the contract and replaced with softer language. Experts and designers have warned that, without strong oversight, Brisbane risks falling into the same traps other host cities have faced—poor planning, design compromises and infrastructure that creates more problems than it solves.

There is a real opportunity here to invest in infrastructure that works for the games and continues serving local people well after 2032, both in Brisbane and around Australia. There's an opportunity to invest in sustainable mass transport, including zero-emissions buses and electric ferries; to create better walking and cycling links, especially for those first and last miles; to convert the athletes village into desperately needed social and affordable housing after the games; and, of course, to make sure small and medium local businesses benefit too.

This isn't just about Brisbane either. If we're serious about creating a lasting Olympic legacy, we need long-term planning across all our key sporting venues nationwide. The Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation in Narrabeen in my electorate of Mackellar, as an example, offers immense potential to be a world class facility for team accommodation, training and competitions across a multitude of sports including athletics, swimming, rowing, basketball and even sailing. This enormous site on the outskirts of Sydney has huge potential but remains rundown and underutilised. If we get the planning right, the legacy lasts. If we don't, we risk repeating mistakes that other cities and our own city have already lived through.

That's why meaningful engagement is absolutely essential. The Queensland government must genuinely engage with Brisbane residents, with local community groups and with experts in planning, architecture, sustainability and transport. The Australian Institute of Architects has put forward a comprehensive set of recommendations for the government, highlighting risks and also offering solutions. One of their key suggestions is the creation of an Olympics design integrity panel. It's commonsense and the kind of expert oversight that we should welcome. I welcome the member for Ryan's motion, and I support her call for the Queensland government to engage openly, to listen to the experts, and genuinely involve Brisbane communities in the planning for 2032.

Zaneta Mascarenhas (Swan, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.