STEP CLOSER TO REALITY
Major milestone in countdown to Gold Coast’s coming of age
AT THE stroke of midnight last night, as clubbers partied in the Gold Coast’s Cavill and Orchid avenues party precinct, a momentous milestone quietly ticked over on the surfboard- shaped Commonwealth Games countdown clock on Surfers Paradise beach.
Today marks exactly six months until Queensland hosts the Games.
Next month, it will be six years since the state’s secondbiggest city was awarded the $ 2 billion international sporting spectacle at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly on the Caribbean island of St Kitts.
It seems a long time ago – Julia Gillard was prime minister, Anna Bligh was premier and the late Ron Clarke was Gold Coast mayor.
The Coast was still suffering from the hangover of the global financial crisis, its economy in the doldrums.
Fast- forward six years and the Glitter Strip is awash with a multibillion- dollar wave of Games- inspired projects from shiny new sporting stadiums to the light- rail extension to Helensvale, to a six- star hotel tower shooting from The Star casino site at Broadbeach.
Brisbane has a new $ 59 million velodrome to stage the track cycling. Cairns and Townsville are poised to cash in by hosting basketball preliminaries and cultural festival events, while other regional centres such as Toowoomba will be training bases.
Legacy was the key driver behind the decision by the state and federal governments and Gold Coast City Council to bid for the Games – “hard” legacy, in terms of new sporting facilities and other infrastructure and the thousands of jobs they generate; and “soft” legacy, including ongoing tourism growth, improved service standards and enhancing the Coast’s and state’s reputation for hosting major events.
A recent report by Griffith University found the Games would contribute $ 2 billion to Queensland’s Gross State Product, create 16,000 jobs, generate an extra $ 2.6 billion in additional public and private sector projects and attract 672,000 visitors in a $ 320 million tourism boom.
“Queensland is about to stage the biggest event in its history and it will be a gamechanger in so many ways,” Tourism and Commonwealth Games Minister Kate Jones says. “The benefits of an event of this scale extend well beyond the 11 days of competition, it will leave a lasting economic and social legacy.
“The Games are injecting billions into the economy, supporting thousands of jobs and delivering world- class facilities that will benefit Queenslanders for years to come. Showcasing Queensland to a global audience of 1.5 billion across key international markets will mean significant long- term tourism gains.
“The $ 2 billion uplift to the Gross State Product and millions of additional export dol- lars in the coming years across education, health services, food and agricultural products are examples of how this event is supporting a diverse and resilient economy.
“From world- class infrastructure to targeted legacy programs, the Games are transformational on many levels.”