Brisbane’s 2032 Paralympic Games buildings re-designed for long term ‘community needs’
by Nic Stuart | Mar 20, 2024 | The Big Story, Wire
The Queensland Government will re-design the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be more useful after the Games are over.
Under pressure and after huge, 19 percent swings against the government at two by-elections last weekend, the Queensland Government is attempting to re-set the narrative to demonstrate it has a vision for the future. Premier Stephen Miles says he will adapt “nearly all the recommendations” from an independent review into sports facility plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The key reforms include prioritising accessibility to infrastructure to ensure it continues to serve the community after the Games. The government has used this reset to reject the rebuild plans for costly new stadiums in Victoria Park and the Gabba. The government says this will allow more of the $7.1 billion funding envelope to be used to ensure the sites will be used for longer and by broader groups of people.
While the changes have provoked a furor of media reports (such as this from the ABC and a devastatingly negative report in the Courier Mail) none of these have so far focused on the changes for People with Disability.
Electoral strategists note Premier Miles’ most significant challenge is to turn around general political sentiment in the state. This announcement meets this urgent need by re-positioning him as ‘listening’ to the needs of ordinary people, including specifically those with disability.
