Ekka to run uninterrupted until Olympic Games, government says

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli says the Royal Queensland Show (the Ekka) won't be interrupted by construction at the showgrounds ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Games.  The government won't say how much construction of a new athletes village and arena will cost, nor how much social and affordable housing it will lead to.

Transcript

00:00It's showtime for the Royal Queensland Show.

00:05We are firing the starters gun on being ready for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

00:09The state government holding cabinet on-site,

00:12announcing restoration of the heritage-listed John MacDonald and Ernest Baines grandstands

00:18to begin when this year's ECCA wraps,

00:20while the machinery hill stand will be torn down after the 2026 show.

00:25It's those regional competitors who come and use this main arena every year

00:29and have done so for the last 150 years,

00:32and this means that they can continue doing that for another 150 years.

00:36The upgrades will deliver a 20,000-seat stadium for the Games,

00:40with the Bowen Hills site to house the Brisbane Athletes' Village.

00:43How much of that will be dedicated to social and affordable homes

00:46following the event remains unknown, as well as the timeline for delivery.

00:51We have to make sure it's a mix that financially stacks up

00:53to make it affordable to partner with the private sector to deliver this.

00:57The cost of the upgrades is unclear.

00:59The government assuring it's contained in the $7.1 billion funding envelope.

01:04The RNA has conceded some compromises will need to be made,

01:08but says 2032 is the only year that ECCA won't be held here.

01:13Oh, it's a bit of a shame.

01:14It'd be nice to open it up to the world, wouldn't it?

01:16Oh, that'd be very disappointing for everybody,

01:18with the country people wanting to meet the city.

01:20You've got to adapt sometimes, don't you?

01:23It seems like a long time away, but it's not really, is it?

01:26One stand missing from this year's show was the free flu vaccination clinic,

01:30axed by the state government, which insists it's on the front foot.

01:34We started the vaccinations and that rolled out a few weeks earlier,

01:38and it's going to go a little longer.

01:40And right now cases are down by about 2%.

01:43We're done.

01:44There are many activities that are mı and down by about 2,000 people.

01:45Thank you, man.

01:46You, they'reisme.

01:47And they're doing it right now.

01:48And they're coming up with us.

01:49And they are getting ready to go a little bit.

01:50And we're going to get ready to go a little bit.

01:52And after that, we have to get ahead of it as soon as we can see,

01:55And they're saying,

01:57we're getting ready to get paid to the table.

01:58There's a lot of people who are going to share the tibetan.

02:00And then, we've also got to ask.

02:01And then we're going to give them a little bit of it.

02:02And we're going to get the money,

02:03And we're going to get to get paid.

02:04My hands are getting paid for the bill,

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended