OUR TIME ARRIVES TO SHAPE, ACCELERATE BENEFITS OF GAMES
THE Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games has left the community with an unprecedented opportunity to build for the future.
Around us we see new infrastructure and feel a renewed sense of identity and civic pride that cannot be allowed to dissipate.
Nor should unhappiness about the Closing Ceremony detract from what was a very successful event.
The Gold Coast is very well positioned, on a number of fronts, to develop new initiatives that will drive business growth, economic diversity, and community prosperity.
The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct is a prime example of a regional project set to take off on the back of momentum and infrastructure created by the Games.
Griffith University partnered with the City of Gold Coast, Gold Coast
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Health and the Queensland Government to develop the precinct, which includes the Games Village, as a unique global hub for hi-tech industry development.
The precinct is set to employ more than 26,000 people, building jobs for the future while driving knowledge-based activity and growing business through partnerships.
Around the region, foreign business investment opportunities are expected to increase by about $41 million a year post-Games. It is crucial that the region remains in position to capitalise fully.
The 240 Griffith University students who completed their internships at GOLDOC, and the further 300 who worked with other Games stakeholders, provide an example of young Gold Coasters who are primed to make the most of this emerging economic climate.
They are the future leaders of the Coast and we need to ensure the opportunities are here for them.
There are other initiatives, resulting from Griffith’s historic partnership with GC2018, that show how this city can continue to build its profile and standing beyond our shores.
Griffith University’s innovative GAPS Program (Gather, Adjust, Prepare, Sustain) gave athletes from across Oceania an opportunity for self-improvement and development, using the university’s facilities under the guidance of leading Griffith researchers.
It is an example of how the city can positively impact the broader Asia Pacific region.
The new Commonwealth Sport University Network was launched here during the Games – an initiative that aligns world-leading research with world-class sport, connecting Griffith with leading Commonwealth universities around the world.
The Games provided a platform for international reputation-building that will continue to resonate for years to come, demonstrated – for example – by Griffith hosting the Global Coaches House, bringing together coaches from around the world.
It remains for the Gold Coast leaders, in partnership with State Government, to foster and run with the opportunities left by the highly successful Games.