A major summit will give Ipswich residents an opportunity to discuss and identify the city’s priorities in the lead-up to and beyond the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Council unanimously endorsed a Mayoral Minute in the March Ordinary Meeting to establish an Ipswich 2032 Summit to be held by September this year.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding said the Summit would be a chance for the community to shape council’s priorities in preparation for the 2032 Games.
“The Games will be the biggest event in our region’s history and represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to think about what Ipswich wants to achieve and how the momentum of the Games can shape our community,” Mayor Harding said.
“We want to hear from community and business leaders about our city’s vision for cultural, sporting, community, and economic development in the lead up to the Games.
“Council is keen to understand how we can best support our community to put our best foot forward, and define the legacies we want to leave for future generations.”
The benefits of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
- The 2032 Games proposal identifies three compact and connected venue zones in SEQ: Brisbane (includes Brisbane, Ipswich, Moreton Bay, Scenic Rim and Redlands), Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
- These three zones will accommodate all 28 Olympic sports within 32 venues, with 16 sports and disciplines within 5km of the Brisbane CBD.
- Economic and social benefits up to $8.1 billion for Queensland and $17.61 billion nationally.
- 122,900 full-time equivalent (FTE) job years nationally and 91,600 FTE job years in Queensland over a 20-year period.
- Economic benefits in international tourism and trade are estimated to be in the order of $4.6 billion, with an estimated benefit of $8.5 billion nationally.
- Social benefits (including health and volunteering) are estimated to be up to $3.5 billion for Queensland and up to $9.11 billion nationally.
A key deliverable out of the Ipswich 2032 Summit will be a report on how council plans to implement its outcomes and kick start the region’s legacy development planning.
“The 2032 Games are about more than the sports, there’s great opportunities for culture, arts, environment, community, and business to make its mark,” Mayor Harding said.
“The objective of the Summit will be to draw these ideas out and use them as the basis of our legacy development moving forward.
“I am excited to hear the ideas our community has to leverage the local impacts of the 2032 Games for Ipswich.”
A draft Ipswich 2032 Summit event plan is due to come to council by July, with the Summit to take place no later than September of this year.
