Hijacking of Games bid a sorry state of affairs
Like Jessika Power at a Logies bash, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is trying to crash our Olympics party. Or is that unfair? Maybe she’s more like a pushy mum dragging her kids to a play date that they not only aren’t invited to, but they don’t even want to attend.
Certainly she’s THAT person who thinks everyone should get a trophy.
How else to explain her push for a statewide 2032 Olympic Games bid, rather than a sole southeast Queensland event?
In the family that is our state, there is no denying that SEQ should be the favourite child. We’re the busiest, the brightest, the funniest … and we deserve all of the accompanying awards and accolades. (Okay, FNQ might be the prettiest – have you seen its natural assets? – but the years are proving devastatingly unkind … even the crown jewel that is the Great Barrier Reef is sadly losing its lustre.)
SEQ has worked so hard as a region to not just woo events but nail them – think the Commonwealth Games, the Logies, even bloody Expo 88.
In fact, the actual idea of hosting the Olympics is being driven by the Council of Mayors in southeast Queensland.
So why are we suddenly being made to share?
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already pledged $10 million towards the bid, but now the Premier is saying she wants the whole state involved … even though we’re the only ones to show any
interest. She may as well pin the participation ribbon to the top half of the Queensland map.
It’s a truly ridiculous idea. Spreading events across SEQ – only slightly smaller than the entire country of Belgium – will be tricky enough. To host it across Queensland? Tell her she’s dreaming.
Everyone from International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach to Australian Olympic Committee boss John Coates agrees.
In fact, in an apparent message to the Premier, Mr Coates straight-out said Dr Bach is opposed to Queensland-wide hosting duties.
“President Bach warned against spreading events too far, being mindful of comments from the athlete members of the IOC, who are concerned about the loss of the magic for athletes from all 206 National Olympic Committees, coming together,” Mr Coates said.
So not only is the Premier ignoring our hard work in preparing a bid, she’s effectively undermining it through inclusivity. The truth is that our Queensland family is just too big for any one-size fits all approach.
SEQ itself has more in common politically, economically and socially with Sydney than Rockhampton.
Take daylight savings time, for example.
How many times do the people of SEQ have to beg and plead for more time at the beach on a summer’s evening, instead of more time at 4am yelling at our children that “it’s not morning yet!” – despite the sun glaringly saying the opposite.
But because our northern siblings don’t like it, we have to lump it.
And just how will that work should our entire state host the 2032 Games?
Remember how NSW introduced extended DST during the year 2000 specifically for the purpose of the Olympics? Looks like we’ll be starting events at 5am to beat the heat.
Look, we love our northern brethren – but we just don’t have much in common. The result being that no one in this family ever really gets the result that they want.
Premier, take it from the mum of two children. The more you try to make everyone happy, the more unhappy everyone is – especially yourself. And, unlike me, I don’t think watching Netflix with your headphones in while drinking wine as the kids whine is really an option. Sadly.
I don’t want a divorce but sometimes I do think our Queensland family would function far better in two separate households – one in the north, one in the south.
We can have our own time, our own allowance and our own space to do what we want to do. Like all good siblings, we can support each other – but we no longer will be forced to be the same person.
We could even still have an annual family reunion where everyone is invited – for the State of Origin.
And you bet every Queenslander gets a trophy for that.
Read Ann Wason Moore every Tuesday and Saturday in the