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Another south-east Queensland council has launched a bid to poach Olympic rowing from Rockhampton, with a proposal that would see competitive rowing return to the region’s biggest dam.
But the Labor opposition has joined the Crisafulli government in backing the controversial Fitzroy River plan to host rowing in Rockhampton, adopted almost a year ago against the advice of the independent 100-day review of planned Olympic infrastructure.
Somerset Regional Council put its hand up to host Olympic rowing on Wivenhoe Dam on Thursday, following a similar gambit from a neighbouring council, Moreton Bay.
“We are less than 60 minutes from Brisbane CBD and have areas on the dam that have been used for competition rowing previously right here that could be reopened at very little cost,” Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt said.
As south-east Queensland councils jostled to host Olympic rowing, the Labor opposition Olympic and Paralympic Games spokeswoman Grace Grace said the LNP government needed to hold firm.
“The premier promised rowing in Rockhampton and he must deliver it, which we support,” she said.
Meanwhile, in state parliament on Thursday, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie introduced amendments to add key Games infrastructure to contentious laws passed last year that fast-tracked Olympic delivery and overrode existing planning laws.
The amendments formally recognised the Brisbane athlete’s village in the Act to accelerate planning for the village and transferred land tenure at Victoria Park to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority to begin construction of the Brisbane Stadium.
It also added the Gabba Arena to the legislated works schedule, along with stages one to three of the Wave rapid bus system on the Sunshine Coast, the Mooloolah River interchange (stages one and two), the Coomera Connector (stage two), the Cairns Western Arterial Road upgrade and the Shute Harbour recreational boating facility.
“Adding key projects to the Act cuts through bureaucratic delays, restores discipline to the program, and gives Queenslanders confidence that essential infrastructure will be delivered on time,” he said.
“Most importantly, this is about delivering a generational legacy on time and on budget, including better transport connections, more housing supply, renewed precincts, and job creating opportunities for Queenslanders well beyond 2032.”
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