Better transport, greater accessibility, the environment and sustainability are features of a legacy strategy for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 2032 Games Legacy Strategy, dubbed Elevate 2042, intends to help make the greater region “better, sooner, together through sport”.
It’s hoped that, by 2042, people will live in an inclusive, sustainable and connected society, with more opportunities for everyone.
The Sunshine Coast is set to host seven Olympic events and two Paralympic events across four key venues, along with an athletes’ village.
Mayor Mark Jamieson said the strategy was an important step to achieve positive outcomes for the region from the Games.
“We want our Sunshine Coast community to be the beneficiaries of our involvement as a Games Delivery Partner in the 2032 Games, with an enduring legacy for current and future generations to enjoy,” he said.
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“I am particularly pleased with the commitment to a more connected and accessible South-East Queensland through the development of a transport and mobility strategy, which will prioritise improvements to the region’s transport system.”
“The Sunshine Coast’s Blue Heart initiative and our Mobility Mapping project, which improves accessibility for people with a disability in our region, are strongly featured in the Legacy Strategy and great examples of positive local projects that will be bigger and better because of the Games.”
He said he was proud of the collaboration that went into creating the strategy.
“I would like to thank everyone who completed the survey or attended the Legacy Forum – particularly those from the Sunshine Coast – your commitment to our future is truly appreciated,” he said.
“In particular, our Sunshine Coast 2032 Legacy Community Reference Group, who assisted us in providing feedback into this process.”
Elevate 2042 reflects the aspirations of the community, with more than 14,000 ideas submitted through the Hopes and Dreams survey, Legacy Forum and Elevate 2042 consultation paper.
Sunshine Coast Legacy Community Reference Group chair and Paralympian Dr Bridie Kean said the strategy was the catalyst to create an inclusive society.
“From universal design underpinning everything we build to providing sport for every Queensland child with a disability, I cannot wait to see what we have achieved by 2042,” she said.
Council will join other Games Delivery Partners to play a key role in the next step, which is to map out the first Implementation Plan, to be developed during 2024 in conjunction with each individual region, that will drive delivery of the early legacy activities up to 2029.
The plan will identify the priority programs, projects, targets, partnerships, policy levers and funding sources that will be needed to make the legacy goals happen, with local communities and businesses helping prioritise the most important projects for their own areas.
Sunshine Coast Council undertook its own community engagement with the 2032 Sunshine Coast Legacy Community Reference Group, to develop a vision and set of aspirations.
The 10+10+ Vision was launched in early 2023 and aligns with Elevate 2042.
Premier and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Games were much more than 16 days of sport.
“Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games has never been about a few weeks of spectacle,” she said.
“It is about making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide lasting benefits for our communities.
“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.
“The world is going to love Queensland for all of the reasons we love it already.
“This report details how the community believes we can make it even better by 2032 and beyond.”
Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee president Andrew Liveris said the Games would be the biggest event in South-East Queensland’s history.
“(It will be) a moment in time to be remembered, but our legacy will evolve for generations to come,” he said.
“This is our opportunity to work as one to ensure no-one is left behind and equality and inclusion shine through before and beyond 2032.
“From inclusion to sustainability, First Nations peoples to economic prosperity, this is a strategy with purpose and the outcomes and successes will elevate the strength of our communities and nation like never before.
“My thanks to Games Delivery Partners for supporting the development of the strategy to this starting point, and to the thousands who shaped the framework and will continue to contribute as elements of the strategy are delivered over the next two decades.”
