OLYMPIC DREAMS

A JOBS boom. Fast-tracked road and rail projects. A massive influx of leading athletes, sport teams and international visitors into our cities.

These are just some of the gains on the horizon for regional Queensland as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk eyes a bid to host the Olympic Games in 2032.

Plans are being drawn up in the south-east by political, tourism and business leaders to get the Sunshine State ready to host the prestigious event in 12 years.

And the benefits won’t stop in the greater Brisbane area.

With hundreds of athletes needing to acclimatise before the Games, visitors needing to stay in our hotels and the potential for events to be hosted outside the southeast, the benefits of a successful Olympic bid will flow to the coffers of regional Queensland cities.

More than 129,000 jobs are expected to be delivered from the global sporting event.

Regional councils across the state are already planning how they can capitalise.

Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Paul Antonio said the region was “well placed” to benefit in a variety of areas including tourism, job creation d pre-Games training.

He said the region had already been identified as a possible location to host an Olympic event.

“We have a range of sporting facilities and accommodation to support this and any potential pre-Games training opportunities,” Cr Antonio said.

“In the Sydney 2000 Games, the Toowoomba region hosted the Norwegian team training camp, utilising local facilities, promoting the region internationally and injecting funds into the local economy.

“Regional centres from Far North Queensland down to Southeast Queensland hosted around 2500 athletes during their 2000 Games preparation, including 179 international teams from 48 countries.”

Somerset Regional Council mayor Graeme Lehmann said the Olympics was a perfect opportunity to show the unique beauty of regional and remote communities.

“For Somerset, it would be about our natural environment – our iconic waterways and rolling countryside – and our authentic Australian hospitality,” Cr Lehmann said.