New plans aiming to make the most of Queensland’s Olympic and Paralympic hosting duties, will look at improving accessibility and sustainability as part of the 2032 Games legacy. 

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The 20-year blueprint has been praised by international Olympic and Paralympic committees, who called the vision and community input “unprecedented”.

While other host cities have committed to legacy strategies in the past, tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe said “none have been as broad and as engaging with the communities”.

He admitted delivering on the “ambitious targets” outlined in the plan was “going to be a challenge” but said he wouldn’t shy away from it.

Connecting Queensland

A focus on connectivity will see improvements to both public and active transport in Brisbane, with the city’s walkability being considered as well as better accessibility.

“That means making everywhere more accessible to anyone, no matter what their ability, and of course that makes things like active transport a whole lot easier for everyone in the community,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“[That] means making sure the connecting links between key places are accessible … so someone in a [wheel]chair can have the same experience as someone [that is] able-bodied.”

Mr Hinchliffe said Brisbane’s precincts and environments would be “renewed” to make the city more liveable. 

“It also means faster and better movement of not just people and goods, but also ideas,” he said.

Brisbane Olympics and Paralympic Games Organising Committee Andrew Liveris said the plans were built on aspirations to create “a healthier city, an inclusive city, a city that uses its urban centre, but also a Games that connects us all” including regional areas outside of Brisbane.

“[We’re encouraging] innovators, entrepreneurs, start-ups, using the Olympics as an accelerator [to] invest in sport, medical, agriculture, resources, tourism, creativity industries [to help put] Brisbane on the world map,” he said.

After more than 14,000 suggestions from community consultations, he said some clear local themes emerged. 

“One of them was the inclusiveness — there’s no question we desire an inclusive society, one that allows access to sport, health and wellbeing for all of our constituencies,” Mr Liveris said.

“When you think about that, of course the second theme becomes access and availability for people with disabilities [and] reaching par and equality for [those communities].

“We wish to be the standard of excellence.”

Repurposing infrastructure post-Games

Mr Hinchliffe said the plans helped “create a vision” for a Brisbane that had “more opportunities for everyone”, including vulnerable Queenslanders who were facing the ongoing housing crisis. 

“Queenslanders and Australians have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to harness the power of the biggest sporting event on Earth for longer-term community change,” he said.

“This is a way in which we can deliver and create that legacy, from hosting the event.” 

The Northshore Athlete Village, in the suburb of Hamilton, will be turned into a diverse housing precinct after the Games.

It is expected to offer aged care, retirement living, and social and affordable housing and will include about 2,000 dwellings for over 10,000 Olympic athletes and 5,000 Paralympic athletes.

A sustainable future

Mr Liveris said the committee hoped to deliver a “net zero emissions Games” by reducing waste, creating opportunities for sustainable growth and restoring healthy lands and waterways.

A First Nations cultural precinct is also on the cards, with an initial implementation plan established next year which will run until 2029. 

A second and then third implementation plan will run in the years following.

Premier, and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Annastacia Palaszczuk said hosting the Games had “never been about a few weeks of spectacle”.

“It is about making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide lasting benefits for our communities,” she said.

“We want 2032 to be the starting line – not the finish – for new investment, new industries, new opportunities, and a new golden era for Queensland.

“Just as South Bank has been the lasting legacy of Expo ’88, this report details what the community wants the 2032 Games to achieve.”

When will construction begin?

Mr Liveris said completing the plan in just nine years, would be “a marathon in a series of sprints”. 

“It doesn’t get much bigger than the Olympics and Paralympics,” he said.

“We’ll spend more of 2024 putting in implementation plans and prioritisation.

“[The blueprint includes] big, ambitious goals, but at the end of the day you’ve got to take advantage of this amazing new gift that the state and city has been given.”