TEAMWORK CRUCIAL TO SECURING GAMES

IF you find yourself with a few minutes, look up Kieran Perkins’ 1500m swim at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Everything – and nearly everyone – was against him.

He was so sick and mentally defeated he wanted to pull out.

In fact, he barely qualified for the final.

But watch that video and you’ll see what happened.

Kieran didn’t just win. He smashed it.

People who love their sport love stories like that.

If we are to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games it is not about those few weeks of spectacle, it’s about a decade’s worth of accelerated investment to get us there and another decade after to capitalise on them.

Look at what happened a month ago when we convinced the federal government to accelerate close to $2 billion in infrastructure spending.

A better M1. Stage three of the Gold Coast light rail. Improvements to heavy rail.

Don’t look now but just the hope of hosting the Olympics has all three levels of government co-operating.

The Olympics will not be the solution to everyone’s problems but having 2032 as a deadline gets projects off drawing boards that much faster.

Leaders of our biggest businesses are cheering for us. They see this teamwork stimulating investment and the economy.

Experts tell us the tourism boost alone is worth $20 billion – $10 billion of it in regional Queensland.

It means 130,000 more jobs. If we are to be successful we will have the Gold Coast to thank for it.

The Commonwealth Games attracted the world’s attention.

They saw how well, how safely and how cost-effectively we stage big sporting events.

Now we have a once-in-alifetime opportunity to host an event six times the size with a television audience of three billion people.

Imagine. Three billion people seeing Olympic Surfing on the Gold Coast.

Some are worried about the costs.

We delivered the Commonwealth Games under budget.

We are being equally financially cautious with the Olympics.

More than 80 per cent of the venues we need are already built.

The International Olympic Committee contributes $US1.8 billion towards the costs.

We will still build the schools and hospital beds we need.

We’re investing in new dams throughout the state.

If we are to host the Olympics it will be because all levels of government are sharing the costs but spending it on things we need anyway.

Schoolchildren taking up sport today can be Olympians in 2032.

You’ll be able to take your family to an Olympic Games.

How many people get to say that?

When Kieran Perkins won that gold medal in Atlanta commentators said it was because he had the heart of a champion.

There is no doubt in my mind Queensland is the same.

We have the hearts of champions.

There is nothing this State can’t do.