Olympics venue plan on its way under new review body

A body to decide on venues for the 2032 Olympics will be established after urgent legislation was passed in the Queensland parliament. During a late-night sitting, the government passed laws to set up the 2032 Olympic Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority. The body will have 100 days starting from Friday to determine the final venue plan for the Games, after years of controversy. "Our aim is to once again get people enthusiastic about the Olympics and to understand the benefits that come with the Olympic Games," Olympic and Paralympic Games Minister Tim Mander said. Premier David Crisafulli is expected to announce who will lead the new Authority's review into infrastructure, at a forum on Friday. It is also understood he will unveil the terms of reference for the review. Mr Mander said there will be at least one regional representative on the review team. "One of the things that we have appreciated is that these games are not just for Brisbane or for South-East Queensland; they are for all of Queensland," he said. The Labor opposition did not support the establishment of the review and has criticised the government for delaying the venue plan further after the bid was granted in 2021. "We are more than a month in and there has been no progress whatsoever," Opposition Leader Steven Miles told parliament. "The Premier has said there will be no new stadiums but he has promised people all over town at least one and maybe two new stadiums. "His word is worth nothing, he tells everyone what they want to hear with no plans to back it up." Brisbane 2032 has been shrouded in controversy after the former Labor government ignored a review calling for a new $3.4 billion stadium at Victoria Park as the Games' centrepiece. Instead, it opted to upgrade ageing facilities like the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre, the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium. Since coming to power after the October 26 win, the Liberal National government has revealed a number of Olympic venue cost blowouts. The latest was an extra $500 million required for Roma Street train station to provide links to Brisbane Arena, costs the government claimed Labor had hidden. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie also announced $181 million in cost blowouts for Olympic venues planned for Chandler in Brisbane's south as well as the Sunshine Coast, again blaming Labor.