Brisbane goes for gold with $70b win from 2032 Olympics
But a business expert has played down the Olympic-sized impact touted on Tuesday, warning the cost of preparing for a Games might outweigh the benefits.
The seven-year countdown to the 2032 Games has begun, with a Deloitte Economics Report predicting the country would benefit from tens of billions of dollars post-Games.
The report forecast the Games would help inject $39.5 billion and create 7800 additional full-time jobs for Queensland's southeast through to the year 2052.
The remainder of Queensland was set to receive $19.3 billion and 4900 extra jobs, with $11.8 billion and 4700 additional jobs for the rest of the country over the 20-year period.
"In some sense, the exact dollars don't matter," Deloitte Access Economics' Pradeep Philip told a packed Brisbane event boasting Olympic heavyweights on Tuesday.
"It's the magnitude and the trajectory of our economic growth that is important."
A forecast volunteering uptick is set to attract 50,000 mostly Australian people, and is expected to contribute to higher labour productivity, feeding the economic boom.
Transport, event and public infrastructure set to be built for the Games would also contribute to the long-term economic legacy, Mr Philip said.
Brisbane's enhanced reputation was also expected to be factor, contributing to higher pre-and post-Games tourism as well as boosting merchandise exports and foreign direct investment.
Australian Olympic Committee CEO Mark Arbib said the report was "music to our ears".
"We can't wait for Brisbane 2032, the world is going to come to Queensland," he said.
But business expert Sheranne Fairley claimed projects rarely came in on budget and warned the Brisbane Olympics may not have a positive economic legacy.
She urged people to keep a healthy amount of scepticism about the touted impacts, with a string of previous Olympic host cities enduring cost blowouts.
"Pretty much every Games we've ever had, we've touted economic benefits and said there's going to be all these positive benefits," the University of Queensland academic told AAP.
"But we see a lot of the time, there's cost blowouts.
"Then there's really no sustained tracking of what those benefits are."
She said multiple studies would likely be completed after the 2032 event boasting different Games impacts, but believed it would be difficult to determine its overall legacy.
She cited the 2018 Commonwealth Games hosted by the Gold Coast, saying some businesses were left "high and dry" when they ordered extra stock for the expected influx of visitors that never came.
"There were certainly some businesses that were left out of pocket," she said.
Glasgow will host a pared-down Commonwealth Games in 2026 after Victoria reneged as host, citing contentious cost blow-outs.
Yet Brisbane Olympic boss Andrew Liveris said the 2032 Games legacy would be different, after being hosted under new reforms.
Brisbane organisers will abide by the Olympic "new norm" that encourages host cities to use existing or temporary venues to help ensure a more affordable, beneficial and sustainable Games.
"We will deliver a Games for the entire region and the entire country that happens to have the word Brisbane as its headline," he told function on Tuesday.
The 2032 Olympics will ensure Queensland had a reputation for "warmth, hospitality, openness" lasting beyond the event, he said.
The clock is ticking for the Games after the Queensland government finally confirmed its venue blueprint in March, more than 1300 days after Brisbane was named host city.
Victoria Park in Brisbane's inner city is expected to become the Games hub, with a 63,000-seat main stadium as part of a $7.1 billion venue funded by the state and federal governments.
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Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
French prison for drug kingpins in political spotlight
At Vendin-le-Vieil Prison, France's most dangerous drug kingpins will be guarded by 250 wardens. (AP PHOTO) At Vendin-le-Vieil Prison, France's most dangerous drug kingpins will be guarded by 250 wardens. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP They are France 's most dangerous drug kingpins, according to the country's justice minister — prison inmates so wealthy and powerful that even behind bars, they can continue to order assassinations, run narco-trafficking operations and launder money. Flexing his powers as minister in charge of the French prison system, Gérald Darmanin's solution to the problem is contentious. He is moving 100 inmates — men he describes as "France's biggest criminals" — into an austere maximum security penitentiary in the country's north that critics say has echoes of tough US prisons. The move is also possibly vote-catching for Darmanin, who has joined a growing field of possible successors to President Emmanuel Macron after the next election, less than two years away. In the newly reinforced Vendin-le-Vieil prison, the selected inmates will be locked in individual cells for 23 hours on most days. Largely cut off from the world, Darmanin argues, they will no longer be able to fuel drug-related violence, which has become a political issue ahead of the 2027 presidential election. "We are here to guarantee that they don't speak to the outside, that they don't continue their trafficking outside, that they don't corrupt prison officers, magistrates, police officers," Darmanin said on primetime evening television after the first 17 inmates were transferred earlier this week to Vendin-le-Vieil from other, less secure facilities. Another 12 were moved in on Thursday. France has had a long history of both notorious prisons (the Bastille) and prisoners — both real (Napoleon) and fictional ("The Count of Monte Cristo"). 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The new Vendin-le-Vieil inmates also won't have the rights accorded in other prisons of intimate time with partners and family members. Darmanin said the conditions will be "extremely hard" but are necessary because France risks "tipping into narco-banditry" in the absence of tough decisions. Critics say Darmanin is taking a gamble by grouping together so many inmates he describes as dangerous. "From what I know, even when they're placed under the strictest isolation, they're so smart that they always find ways to communicate with each other," said May Sarah Vogelhut, a lawyer for one of the prisoners transferred this week. "It's almost more like a networking club for billionaire narco-traffickers." She and others also say the tough conditions could inflict an unacceptable toll on the prisoners' mental health. Vogelhut said her 22-year-old client was a major drug dealer in the southern French port city of Marseille and was convicted and sentenced to 25 years for torturing his victims. 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The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Workers optimistic but employers wary over wages bill
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A calculation of rates on the Fair Work Commission's website shows a common penalty for a casual hospitality Saturday shift to be $40.85 per hour, while a Sunday shift could bring in $47.65 per hour. Ms Rishworth said award workers deserved to have their wages protected. "Wages of low-paid workers should not go backwards because that's not fair and not what Australians expect of our workplace relation system," Ms Rishworth said as she introduced the bill. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the bill was anything but simple and fair, calling it a "backwards step". Acting chief executive David Alexander said it made negotiating wage changes harder for employers, especially small businesses who already struggled to work through the "complex" fair work act. "Tying Australian businesses up in knots around workplace systems has the effect of strangling growth and that means less jobs and lower wages," Mr Alexander said. "This bill is at odds with the government's plans to improve productivity, and instead injects more rigidity and complexity into the fair work laws." Opposition employment spokesman Tim Wilson said the coalition supported penalty rates, but agreed the government had overlooked small businesses who had not been adequately consulted. He floated holding a Senate inquiry so employers' could voice their concerns. "There's concerns that this may undermine the role of the Fair Work Commission," Mr Wilson said. "If anything, small business needs to be brought into the conversation because they need hope, and when you need hope, the best way to give it is to be part of the conversation about the way forward." Mr Wilson said the absence of a regulatory impact statement, which lays out the potential impacts of the proposed changes, meant consultation was even more important. The Australian Council of Trade Unions said young people, women and casual workers would suffer most if higher penalty rates were not enshrined. "Unfortunately, for decades, employers have pushed and pushed to erode or abolish them," secretary Sally McManus said. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association said wage theft remained a problem in the retail and fast food industries, and the protections would force employers to show they respect their workers. The bill will be passed to MPs before it is debated in parliament at a later date. About one in seven Australian workers will have their penalty rates increased and their employers will not be able to reduce them, under changes proposed by the Albanese government. One of those workers is service assistant Ruth Sumner, who for 25 years had to struggle to provide for her kids. Although her children have moved out, she still has to look for deals to pay for her basic needs, sacrificing her quality of life. "It's sad because everything's going up. It's your power and everything," Ms Sumner told AAP. "I look at an apple that I really like but if there's one two dollars cheaper, I'm going to buy the cheaper one." She stands to benefit from a bill Labor has introduced to the lower house that seeks to enshrine higher rates of pay for award workers when they work late nights, early hours, weekends and public holidays. If it is passed, award workers will earn a base weekend penalty rate of about $40 an hour. While rates can vary depending on an employee's specific award or agreement applicable to that industry, common pay rates for workers on a Sunday are double time (200 per cent) or time and a half (150 per cent). A calculation of rates on the Fair Work Commission's website shows a common penalty for a casual hospitality Saturday shift to be $40.85 per hour, while a Sunday shift could bring in $47.65 per hour. Ms Rishworth said award workers deserved to have their wages protected. "Wages of low-paid workers should not go backwards because that's not fair and not what Australians expect of our workplace relation system," Ms Rishworth said as she introduced the bill. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the bill was anything but simple and fair, calling it a "backwards step". Acting chief executive David Alexander said it made negotiating wage changes harder for employers, especially small businesses who already struggled to work through the "complex" fair work act. "Tying Australian businesses up in knots around workplace systems has the effect of strangling growth and that means less jobs and lower wages," Mr Alexander said. "This bill is at odds with the government's plans to improve productivity, and instead injects more rigidity and complexity into the fair work laws." Opposition employment spokesman Tim Wilson said the coalition supported penalty rates, but agreed the government had overlooked small businesses who had not been adequately consulted. He floated holding a Senate inquiry so employers' could voice their concerns. "There's concerns that this may undermine the role of the Fair Work Commission," Mr Wilson said. "If anything, small business needs to be brought into the conversation because they need hope, and when you need hope, the best way to give it is to be part of the conversation about the way forward." Mr Wilson said the absence of a regulatory impact statement, which lays out the potential impacts of the proposed changes, meant consultation was even more important. The Australian Council of Trade Unions said young people, women and casual workers would suffer most if higher penalty rates were not enshrined. "Unfortunately, for decades, employers have pushed and pushed to erode or abolish them," secretary Sally McManus said. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association said wage theft remained a problem in the retail and fast food industries, and the protections would force employers to show they respect their workers. The bill will be passed to MPs before it is debated in parliament at a later date. About one in seven Australian workers will have their penalty rates increased and their employers will not be able to reduce them, under changes proposed by the Albanese government. One of those workers is service assistant Ruth Sumner, who for 25 years had to struggle to provide for her kids. Although her children have moved out, she still has to look for deals to pay for her basic needs, sacrificing her quality of life. "It's sad because everything's going up. It's your power and everything," Ms Sumner told AAP. "I look at an apple that I really like but if there's one two dollars cheaper, I'm going to buy the cheaper one." She stands to benefit from a bill Labor has introduced to the lower house that seeks to enshrine higher rates of pay for award workers when they work late nights, early hours, weekends and public holidays. If it is passed, award workers will earn a base weekend penalty rate of about $40 an hour. While rates can vary depending on an employee's specific award or agreement applicable to that industry, common pay rates for workers on a Sunday are double time (200 per cent) or time and a half (150 per cent). A calculation of rates on the Fair Work Commission's website shows a common penalty for a casual hospitality Saturday shift to be $40.85 per hour, while a Sunday shift could bring in $47.65 per hour. Ms Rishworth said award workers deserved to have their wages protected. "Wages of low-paid workers should not go backwards because that's not fair and not what Australians expect of our workplace relation system," Ms Rishworth said as she introduced the bill. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the bill was anything but simple and fair, calling it a "backwards step". Acting chief executive David Alexander said it made negotiating wage changes harder for employers, especially small businesses who already struggled to work through the "complex" fair work act. "Tying Australian businesses up in knots around workplace systems has the effect of strangling growth and that means less jobs and lower wages," Mr Alexander said. "This bill is at odds with the government's plans to improve productivity, and instead injects more rigidity and complexity into the fair work laws." Opposition employment spokesman Tim Wilson said the coalition supported penalty rates, but agreed the government had overlooked small businesses who had not been adequately consulted. He floated holding a Senate inquiry so employers' could voice their concerns. "There's concerns that this may undermine the role of the Fair Work Commission," Mr Wilson said. "If anything, small business needs to be brought into the conversation because they need hope, and when you need hope, the best way to give it is to be part of the conversation about the way forward." Mr Wilson said the absence of a regulatory impact statement, which lays out the potential impacts of the proposed changes, meant consultation was even more important. The Australian Council of Trade Unions said young people, women and casual workers would suffer most if higher penalty rates were not enshrined. "Unfortunately, for decades, employers have pushed and pushed to erode or abolish them," secretary Sally McManus said. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association said wage theft remained a problem in the retail and fast food industries, and the protections would force employers to show they respect their workers. The bill will be passed to MPs before it is debated in parliament at a later date.
Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Australian-made green plane fuel closer with grant win
Forget farm waste: Australian researchers are developing a way to make environmentally friendly aviation fuel using renewable energy, water and carbon dioxide. The innovative project, undertaken at the University of NSW, has won a $1.2 million grant to progress the technology and scientists say a prototype could be as little as six months from launch. The announcement on Thursday comes amid increasing demand for sustainable aviation fuel in Australia and worldwide and follows the launch of several multimillion-dollar projects designed to turn waste into jet fuel. Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is typically made from agricultural waste such as sugarcane, tallow, canola and cooking oils and can reduce emissions from aircraft by 80 per cent compared to traditional jet fuel. But the UNSW project deploys an electrolyser that uses low-cost metals, carbon catalysts and renewable energy to turn carbon dioxide and water into fuel precursors. The approach could cut out the need for farm waste and make environmentally friendly fuel easier to produce at scale, project leader Rahman Daiyan said. "Most of the work so far has been on bio-based sustainable aviation fuel projects," he told AAP. "But those sort of biomass resources are limited to some extent." The Trailblazer for Recycling and Clean Energy program, established by the federal education department, has awarded the UNSW research team an additional $1.2 million to scale up its technology. While the electrolyser has been proven to work in a lab, Dr Daiyan said a validated prototype would be ready within six to nine months, and the project would be commercialised with industry partners Tjindu Power and Chinese energy firm Chuangqi Times. If successful, he said, the project could help to realise Australian ambitions to become a green fuel exporter. "One of the best aspects of this technology is that it allows us to leverage Australia's potential – we want to be a hydrogen exporter or a low-carbon fuel exporter," Dr Daiyan said. "There is domestic demand but there is also overseas demand because apart from Singapore and Malaysia there are not a lot of places to make SAF for the Asia Pacific region." Sustainable aviation fuel is considered to be one of the leading ways to reduce carbon emission from air travel and is in high demand worldwide after major airlines committed to using the fuel to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. A report by the CSIRO and aircraft maker Boeing, released in November, found Australia could lead the world in production of the sustainable fuel but warned it had made only moderate progress so far. Sustainable aviation fuel projects are under way in Queensland and Western Australia, including a refinery planned by Wagner Sustainable Fuels and plans to transform BP's Kwinana Energy Hub in Western Australia.
