Premier says Olympic rowing concerns ‘last hurrah’ of ‘naysayers’

Source : ABC NEWS

Queensland’s top political brass has flown to Rockhampton to again attempt to quash any concerns around the city’s accommodation capacity to host an Olympic sporting event.

The central Queensland city was last year announced as the host for rowing and canoeing for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games but it has been subject to debate since.

On Thursday morning, amid a gathering of rowing fraternity, tourism bodies, sporting groups and local politicians, Premier David Crisafulli stood on the bank of the Fitzroy River to double down on his commitment that the state government “was not for turning” on this.

“It’s about a region who deserves a fair share,” he said.

“In many ways, this fight symbolises that.

“Central Queenslanders are going to prove a whole heap of people from interstate and overseas wrong because it will be world-class and it will be generational and there will be legacy.”

International and national rowing bodies have raised concerns over the river’s suitability, most recently at last week’s World Rowing congress in Amsterdam.

Mr Crisafulli labelled critics “naysayers” and said concerns raised over the past 12 months, including over the natural river course, flooding, crocodiles, infrastructure and racing conditions, had already been “debunked easily”.

“Every so-called impediment that’s been put up has been dismissed,” he said.

“This is the last hurrah of people trying to find ways to discredit something that makes a hell of a lot of sense.

When questioned whether Rockhampton’s selection was part of a strategy to shore up electorates in the region, the premier pointed to the many regions set to host events, including sailing in Townsville in the Whitsundays, equestrian in Toowoomba, football in Cairns, and archery in Maryborough.

Accommodation concerns

This week, media outlets also reported on further concerns around a lack of accommodation in the city, citing complaints Rowing Queensland had received from parents struggling to find accommodation ahead of next weekend’s Queensland Schools’ Championship Regatta.

The region’s peak tourism body, Capricorn Enterprise, has flagged in recent years the need for an extra 1,200 short-term accommodation rooms by 2032, for current and future demand, not including Olympic tourism requirements.

“We have lost short-term accommodation rooms to long-term rentals because of the housing shortage, [but] that’s now starting to be relieved a bit because houses are coming out of the ground pretty quickly” the body’s chief executive, Mary Carroll, said.

“We just don’t have enough rooms. I’m desperate for more accommodation rooms in the next six years.”

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie argued the Olympic event would drive investment in the accommodation sector, with planning work also underway for a 1,200-bed athlete’s village.

Highlighting a shed at the rowing course, built after the Canadian Olympic team trained on the Fitzroy River ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he said the legacy would be long-lasting in terms of accommodation and housing.

“The campaign that’s being run at the moment — that there’s not enough accommodation — that same campaign was run months ago in Brisbane, that’s why we’re unlocking land,” Mr Bleijie said.

Both men pointed to the city hosting Beef Australia every three years, which brought 125,000 extra people to the city.

Beef Australia chief executive Simon Irwin said 35,000 people went through turnstiles of the event’s first day.

“We do that in an environment where we have filled every possible piece of accommodation in central Queensland, almost down to Gladstone nowadays,” Mr Irwin said.

He said he had been in contact with the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA) explaining the way the organisation handled the influx.

“The idea that we need to be able to place 25,000 people here is not new,” he said.

“It happens on the first Monday in May every three years and we’re more than happy to share that information and show that it can be done.”

In previous years, the event has relied on residents renting out their homes for accommodation, temporary campsites near the event and even charter flights for day visits from other regional cities.

The venue still needs approval from the sport’s governing body, World Rowing.

Mr Crisafulli reiterated his confidence in the river’s suitability.

“The technical assessments are all heading in the right direction and that’s repeatedly what we’re being told,” he said.

He also confirmed the results from the assessment would be made publicly available.