Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate has called on Brisbane Olympics organisers to switch their focus to the Gold Coast and make more use of its infrastructure to avoid cost blow-outs.
Tate said the $2.5 billion costs associated with the redevelopment of the Gabba are misplaced and called for organisers to take more advantage of the Gold Coast beyond the current six Olympic events slated to run so far.
“If you are going to burn dollars left, right and centre, people will look at you with disdain,” he told the Daily Mail.
“I say they need to be respectful of taxpayers’ money. We already have a lot of the facilities such as Olympic pools, hockey fields and BMX, to name a few.
“Let’s focus on value-for-money and legacy for the whole of South East Qld. After all, this all started out as a southeast Queensland (Olympic and Paralympic) bid.”
Acting Premier Steven Miles said the Gabba’s redevelopment will have benefits beyond the Games.
“We’re already missing out on attracting international games and rebuilding the stadium will deliver a world class stadium and allow us to remain competitive for AFL and international cricket,” he said.
“It will also attract national and international entertainment events.”
