PROFESSOR DEBORAH TERRY: AO VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT, THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Dec 8, 2022 | Annual Leaders Survey 2022
Ten years out, preparations for Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games are already underway.
We have an Organising Committee, a Venue Master Plan, and a staggering number of large-scale infrastructure and transport projects underway across the South-East.
However, Brisbane 2032 is much more than an opportunity to host a global sporting event.
It’s also an opportunity to accelerate the delivery of the long-term plans needed to sustain lasting growth across Queensland and deliver socio-economic benefits for all Queenslanders.
There is a global race for talent going on, and Brisbane 2032 is a golden opportunity to showcase Queensland’s appeal and attract the skilled workers we need to help boost our state’s economy over the next decade and beyond.
We need to encourage as many students, researchers, entrepreneurs, and qualified young professionals as we can, to bring their skills, their enthusiasm, their ingenuity, and their passions – to Brisbane and Queensland – from all over the world, to help build new industries, in knowledge-based sectors of the economy.
And to do this, we need to ask ourselves: what is important to young people?
Besides the obvious climate and lifestyle advantages that Queensland offers, which already make our state very appealing, it’s fundamental that Brisbane develops in a way that young people can find work, afford a place to live, and enjoy a city that is connected and alive with culture.
We – government, industry, and all major Queensland institutions – need to be thinking about what more we can do to foster creativity and innovation.
At the same time, we need to ensure that the cost of living and the cost of housing are affordable for the young people we hope to attract.
And we need to prepare for the broader opportunities the Games present.
We must make sure that the transport and other infrastructure we build works to serve our region post-Games.
We must continue to cultivate our innovation ecosystem, educate for the jobs of the future, and invest in developing the cultural fabric of our city.
And we must ultimately work to ensure that Brisbane 2032 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform our city and deliver benefits to all Queenslanders.