By Callen Sorensen Karklis
Planning for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics is actively progressing, involving collaboration across federal, state, and local governments, with broad bipartisan support despite a few dissenting voices. The Olympics, celebrated globally as a symbol of human unity through sport, trace their origins to ancient Athens in 776 BC before being outlawed by Roman Christians. Revived in the 19th century, the modern Games continue to inspire, yet they also carry a complex and darker history.
The term “White Elephant” underscores the significant financial strain the 2032 Brisbane Olympics could place on South-East Queensland, particularly impacting local councils like Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Logan, and Redlands. While the Olympics often deliver short-term gains, their long-term consequences can be severe, including crippling debt, overspending, and social and environmental tolls. These include the displacement of communities, gentrification of suburbs, and environmental degradation. Additionally, heightened militarisation, stricter security measures, and missed opportunities to fund critical services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure are common. Though the 2000 Sydney Olympics saw successes, other Games – Rio 2016, Atlanta 1996, Beijing 2008, and Seoul 1988 – left troubling legacies. Notably, Seoul displaced 2 million people, and Atlanta saw affordable housing demolished, highlighting the recurring issue of mass displacement.
Following the Newman LNP government’s austerity measures (2012–2015), which slashed 14,000 public service jobs and cut essential education and health services, Queenslanders elected Labor from 2015 to 2024 under the Palaszczuk and Miles administrations. While Palaszczuk secured the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, Labor’s initial plan to rebuild the Gabba sparked outrage by proposing to demolish schools, homes, and parks near Raymond Park in Kangaroo Point. This triggered widespread community backlash, contributing to the Greens gaining representation across all three government levels in inner Brisbane from 2020 to 2024. Facing intense pressure, Labor scrapped the Gabba rebuild and shifted plans to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), formerly ANZ Stadium, in Nathan/Mt Gravatt.
In Brisbane City and Moreton Shire Councils, the LNP-led administrations have started fining homeless residents and clearing them from these local government areas, despite hesitation from Queensland Police. This occurs amid a struggling post-Covid economy, both locally and globally, compounded by a worsening housing shortage, affordability crisis, and widespread cost-of-living pressures. The region also faces heightened challenges following extreme weather events, including Cyclone Alfred in early 2025.
With the election of the LNP state government led by Premier David Crisafulli, there’s a renewed, ambitious push for 2032 Brisbane Olympics planning, notably the controversial Victoria Park proposal, which has drawn criticism across the political spectrum. Concerns are also mounting in Redlands City Council over the Birkdale White Water facility, with ratepayers worried about costs and environmental impacts on water, habitats, and wildlife. These developments have sparked widespread debate, especially as the new government has scaled back public transport investments promised by the previous Labor administration, such as the Eastern Busway extension to Capalaba. Additionally, plans to cut or downsize health services, including satellite hospitals, have raised alarms. Meanwhile, the LNP is promoting large housing estates like the Southern Thornlands PDA, despite inadequate public infrastructure, as highlighted by Redlands Mayor Jos Mitchell.
Despite the 1982 Commonwealth Games spotlighting Brisbane, the long-serving, authoritarian conservative Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen (1968–1987) enacted the oppressive Commonwealth Games Act, restricting Aboriginal First Nations people’s movements during the event. This clashed with the 1967 referendum granting First Nations people voting and participation rights, leading to large-scale protests by the Australian civil rights movement. The protests drew international media scrutiny, casting a dark shadow over the Games. This period also saw the notorious Nicklin/Joh gerrymander – originally a Labor tactic from the early 20th century – which Bjelke-Petersen exploited to rig Queensland’s voting system, earning it the nickname “Bjelkemander.” While the Fitzgerald Inquiry later addressed some electoral corruption, issues persist. Concerns have emerged that Premier David Crisafulli may be reverting to gerrymandering under the guise of reform, appointing allies to the Queensland Redistribution Commission (QRC), reversing developer donation bans, and using Olympics planning as a cover. Former judge and CCC Chair Tony Fitzgerald has voiced alarm over these developments.
Planning for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and future developments in South-East Queensland must heed historical lessons, particularly the failure of major party governments to account for the region’s booming population since the 1970s. South-East Queensland transformed from a portside capital surrounded by agricultural hubs into a thriving metropolis within half a century. Past governments often pursued ambitious, large-scale projects without adequately considering this rapid growth, leading to hard lessons. A key failure was the lack of consultation with local communities, often excluding them from the planning process and ignoring their input.
The Bjelke-Petersen Government’s proposals to build a bridge to Stradbroke Island and develop the original Toondah plan in Cleveland’s wetlands, following the Raby Bay canal estates, faced fierce community opposition in the 1970s and 1980s, ultimately leading to their rejection. Subsequent Labor governments encountered similar pushback: the Goss administration’s “Koala” freeway plan, spanning Gold Coast, Logan, and Redlands, contributed to their 1996 Queensland election loss due to inadequate community engagement. Later, Anna Bligh’s asset sales during the Global Financial Crisis eroded her Labor support, costing her the 2012 election. Similarly, Premiers Beattie and Bligh lost significant backing on the Sunshine Coast over the Traveston Dam project in Gympie, which was ultimately scrapped by then-Federal Environment Minister and former Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett.
The LNP’s backing of projects like the Toondah PDA, initially planned for 800 units in Ramsar wetlands by Walker Corporation, and the Adani coal mine in central Queensland overlooked long-term environmental and economic consequences. Under the Palaszczuk/Miles Labor state governments, the Toondah PDA expanded from 800 to 3,600 units between 2012 and 2024, supported by the LNP-led Redlands City Council and federal sponsorship. This coincided with then-Federal Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg’s controversial attempt to weaken Ramsar wetland protections before he became Treasurer under Morrison, drawing significant criticism. In early 2024, Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek rejected Walker Corporation’s proposal. The company has since scaled back its plans, while the community advocates for a consultative approach through a community-led concept plan.
A critical flaw in planning across all three levels of government is the assumption that endless growth equates to progress, which it doesn’t. This mindset strains local resources, with only 50–60 years of fossil fuels remaining. Examples like the Murray-Darling Basin’s water management failures highlight the challenges of overpopulation, as governments struggle to meet rising demands for essential services such as housing, health, public transport, and education. Regional planning often fails to future-proof by not consulting residents, leading to severe environmental damage. This is particularly harmful to delicate ecosystems already stressed by climate change and the expansion of housing estates through urbanisation.
We urgently need to rethink urban planning to prioritise sustainability, a concept even former Prime Minister Julia Gillard supported. Endless overdevelopment and population growth are unsustainable, as we lack the resources and financial capacity to support them. Planning must shift focus beyond short-term electoral cycles to address long-term needs. This is evident in pressing issues like the housing crisis. Before promoting South-East Queensland globally, we must address local challenges, looking beyond the spectacle of the 2032 Olympics. As the Romans famously said, “bread and circuses” distract people from their struggles – but we can do better. If Labor, the Greens, and community Independents capitalise on the lack of consultation in Olympics planning, the LNP-led Council, in power for 24 years, and the state government could face significant challenges, especially if they fail to learn from the missteps of the Newman era.
Callen Sorensen Karklis ran as the 2024 Greens candidate for Queensland’s Oodgeroo electorate. He holds a Bachelor of Government and International Relations from Griffith University and a Business Diploma from QLD TAFE, and is currently pursuing a Cert 4 in Youth Work. His professional background spans retail, media advertising, union, and government roles. Callen has also been active in community initiatives, including Bayside Crime Stoppers (2015–2016) and serving as the Indigenous Officer on the Griffith Student Representative Council in 2021 during the pandemic. Additionally, he co-hosted 4ZZZ radio programs Workers Power and Indigi Briz, coordinated Jos Mitchell’s Leading Change Team for the 2024 Redland City Council elections, and previously organised for the Labor Party during the Newman and early Palaszczuk years while advising TEAL campaigns
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Well Queenslanders elected their own version of a politician having ”interesting financial practices” before the 2025 state elections. Would you buy a used car from an insolvent company??
However, the NLP are likely to follow the Bjelke Petersen ”brown paper bag” strategy to enrich ”political donors” while the Murdoch Media Manipulation Monopoly will keep the voter readership encased in the cotton wool of misinformation and propaganda. Hopefully one term will be sufficient to discourage voters from a repeat performance of the Campbell Newman job slashing and other past maladministration practices.
Here in New England we are hoping that there is a visionary (rare in the NLP because they are usually culled during the pre-selection process) to upgrade the railway link between Wallangarra inland on the Queensland border to the NSW Main North Line at Armidale.
This sensible policy would overcome 150 years of rivalry between 19th century England & Irish Engineers over track gauges and provide a weather-proof railway connection between the capital cities. Moreover, it would provide affordable public transport for passenger trains for 216Km of NSW voters unable to access distant government services unavailable locally. The present ”coach services” are unacceptable.
Moreover, it would reduce the B-Double and even bigger B-Triples that haunt the poorly maintained highways, thus reducing pollution and the road toll.