With the biggest sporting event in the world, the Olympic and Paralympic Games on our doorstep, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement and energy of the plans for 2032.
However, the announcement of Brisbane as the host city of the SEQ bid was bittersweet for the City of Logan.
While the glory of the Games was within reach, our city, which will be home to half a million people by 2032, was wiped clean off the Olympic map.
Instead of sharing in the excitement of the Games, I was shocked and disappointed we were not allocated a sport to host. On behalf of our city, I set about making the concerns of our residents known.
I’ve made no secret of my desire to secure an Olympic venue for Logan’s growing community and since the announcement I have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the deputy premier and Logan’s state and federal members were well aware of this.
We have one of the largest grassroots sporting communities in the region and are renowned for producing some of the greatest sporting talent in country.
Every weekend our sporting facilities are bursting with kids and their parents from dawn to dusk.
Not only do residents know that our sporting facilities are oversubscribed but industry has also confirmed that there is a significant shortfall in indoor court-based facilities in the city.
In February, council took steps to making our Games ambitions a reality in a way that would capitalise on Logan’s ideal location between the two major Olympic zones of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Council will consider a report at Tuesday’s Planning and Economic Development committee meeting that looks at the need for a large-scale multifunctional indoor venue to meet current community demand and could be used as part of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Logan Central has emerged as a preferred site for further investigation to establish such a venue. The suburb ticks a lot of boxes when you think about access to transport, urban renewal and Games legacy opportunities.
The Australian and Queensland governments have committed $2.6 billion to deliver the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail Project including upgrades to Woodridge Station – the first major transport infrastructure announcement ahead of the Games.
An Olympic venue in Logan Central enables council to bring forward and value-add to the already endorsed plans for Logan Central Civic and Community Precinct Plan creating better open spaces and enhancements for the community and visitors to enjoy.
If we are talking about genuine legacy from the Games and the social and economic value that could be realised through public and private investment, Logan Central is a winning proposition.
We will now put it to the minister for the Olympics, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, to meet council halfway and contribute to a feasibility study and business case for a multi-functional venue in Logan Central.
We’re not out of the race for Olympic glory yet.
