Federal Olympics investment delivers $1.8 billion for Gold Coast venues and transport

The Gold Coast has secured $1.8 billion in Commonwealth funding for 2032 Olympic venue and transport infrastructure, enabling the city to host four Olympic disciplines — swimming, open water swimming, beach volleyball, and modern pentathlon — in facilities that will leave a significant legacy for the Gold Coast community after the Games.

The largest single investment is $820 million for the new aquatics centre at Broadwater Parklands, which will be purpose-built for Olympic swimming and diving before being converted to a public aquatics facility with 50-metre competition pool, leisure pool, and open-water swimming access. The Broadwater site was selected over the existing Optus Aquatic Centre at Carrara after venue assessments found the Carrara facility could not be upgraded cost-effectively to meet Olympic broadcast and athlete standards.

Transport improvements, including extensions to the Gold Coast light rail network and upgraded bus routes to all venues, account for $580 million of the federal commitment. The remaining $400 million covers athlete village construction at Southport that will be converted to affordable housing and a youth hostel after the Games.

Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the Gold Coast's Olympic infrastructure investment met both the immediate Games requirements and the long-term community benefit test that the Commonwealth had established as a condition of its Olympic commitment. "Every dollar invested for 2032 has to earn its return for Gold Coast residents long after the closing ceremony," she said.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate said the city was ready to deliver on its Olympic commitments and was already experiencing the economic benefits of the Games pipeline, with tourism and business event bookings linked to the Olympic program generating an estimated $2.3 billion in advance economic activity.

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