2032 Legacy

By Chris van der Pol

Following on from my involvement in the Sunshine Coast Council’s Legacy Plan Community Reference Group, a thinktank exploring how to leverage diverse and lasting benefits from the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and a contributor to Council’s ’10+10+ vision’ document, I was delighted to attend the State’s Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Forum on 22 March.

Kicking off with a spectacular and powerful Welcome to Country ceremony, the State Premier Anna Palaszczuk, MPs, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, Olympic Organising Committee and AOC members, as well as an impressive complement of Paralympians, Olympians and thought leaders, provided the 500 delegates with an impressive overview of the enormous opportunities for positive and inclusive social, environmental, liveability and governance legacies for our region from the Games.

Following the presentations, we were encouraged to ‘Think Big. Be Bold’ and participate in one of 4 break-out workshop sessions:

1. Sport, health and inclusion.
2. A better future for our environment.
3. Connecting regionally and globally.
4. Economy, jobs and innovation.

Participating in session 2, we explored ideas about how to use the Games as a catalyst and driver for moving beyond net-zero towards climate-positive development outcomes, embracing environmentally restorative actions (including ideas such as a Legacy Forest, and a web-based, inclusive and global urban greening community), accounting for values beyond purely monetary, and re-engaging with First Nations people and knowledge in sustainable land use, management practices and custodianship.

Adding to the insights provided by 12,000 participants in the State’s Hopes and Dreams survey on maximising Games-related benefits between now and 2042, the key initiatives and opinions from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Legacy Forum will now be synthesised by the State government and its Games Delivery Partners (which include the Brisbane, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast Councils) into a Legacy Plan framework for how all levels of Government will work with the community to plan and make decisions in the years ahead. That document is slated for release for public consultation from April to May 2023. I look forward to seeing it and encourage us all to participate in this potentially transformative process.