Greatest show on earth coming to the greatest place on earth

EVERYONE will have an opinion on the decision to announce our region as host destination for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

Critics and supporters will be out in droves tapping on keyboards and making their views known. That’s a great thing. Everyone’s opinion matters.

What also matters are facts. Without doubt, the overwhelming legacy outcome of this decision will be an opportunity for our city to “reimagine itself” like never before. We’ll never get this opportunity again in our lifetimes.

I have long said that the Olympics and Paralympics is a celebration of sport and human spirit, especially being able to witness the amazing feats of our Paralympians.

Our city has a chance to make this more than sport. It is about bringing forward the critical infrastructure needed as the fastest growing corner of Australia. It is about taking our marketing message to the world – and showcasing why we are the greatest city on the planet.

It is about maximising private and public investment in our “jobs future” so our children can live, work and raise their families here.

By broadening our economy, our children get to choose high-paying Coast careers in leading industries like science, health and knowledge, medical research and artificial intelligence (AI). Broadening our economy is the only way to take our city into the decades ahead.

We’ve all done a cracking job at strengthening our economy from the two key pillars, tourism and construction, to today’s robust economic drivers.

These include marine, screen, advanced manufacturing, tertiary education, sports and events.

But there is so much on the horizon that we need to reach even further as we imagine what our city can truly become. At the same time, we need to protect our “liveability” … the very reason most of us moved here in the first place.

Keyboard critics need to unplug for a few minutes and reflect on just how good we have it here right now.

Our natural environment, our builtform attractions, the Pacific Ocean on our doorstep and world-listed heritage playgrounds in the hinterland. Our city is safe, welcoming and diverse – more than 27 per cent of our population was born overseas. It is simply the greatest place to live.

In every decision we make, the environment must continue to come first. To achieve this, we need to balance the demand for more housing, wider roads, better public transport, new tourism experiences, flora and fauna protection and expanded community assets.

To some degree, we all need to get the blinkers off as our city has been built on a have-a-go-spirit for more than seven decades. It is perpetually changing and will do so forever.

I see our role as one united in a shared vision for the Gold Coast and one where we maximise legacy opportunities from the 2032 Games. That way, when the gold medals are long ago celebrated and packed away, we will have a city shaped to tackle the next 10 decades.

I can’t speak for future councils but as mayor today, I will never vote for any future Olympic-style rates levy or tax on our ratepayers. A council I lead will only put its fair share into capital works projects we need to protect our liveability – not nice-to-haves for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

Now the “game is on”, let’s roll up our sleeves as the work starts today.