Mayors' overseas mission explored a world of possibilities

Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, outside Paris, which was built specifically for the Olympics and is home to the French federations for rowing and canoeing

A 10-day overseas mission by South East Queensland Mayors in February has highlighted the opportunities for the Scenic Rim from the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and the need for improved infrastructure for waste management. 

Tabled at yesterday’s Ordinary Meeting of Council, the report by the Council of Mayors South East Queensland Thinking Globally, Acting Regionally and Delivering Locally outlined the key findings of the mission to Singapore, Manchester and Paris by the delegation which included Scenic Rim Mayor Tom Sharp. 

The mission, which was funded by councils' annual subscriptions to the Council of Mayors South East Queensland, examined transport, urban renewal, housing and waste management opportunities, as well as the legacies of major infrastructure and events such as the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 

Cr Sharp said a key outcome of the mission was discovering how regions around Paris have delivered long-term legacy benefits for their communities from the Games. 

"What we learned from their experiences was highly relevant for our region," he said.

The delegation visited the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, just outside Paris, which was built specifically for the Olympics, and is home to the French federations for rowing and canoeing.

"Council is now on a mission, through an independent advisory group, to bring the 2032 Olympic rowing and canoeing events back to our region and working on what we need to do in terms of accommodation, transportation and necessary infrastructure for the Lake Wyaralong site," Cr Sharp said.

The visit to Manchester underscored the value of the City Deals initiative, a partnership between local, state and federal governments to support employment, improve connectivity and enhance the liveability of the South East Queensland region. 

 "Manchester was the first city or greater region in the world to pull off a City Deal," Cr Sharp said. 

"Inspired by Manchester in 2014, South East Queensland secured the inaugural SEQ City Deal in March 2021 which provides a 20-year commitment to support the region’s growth with an initial investment of $1.8 billion over five years. 

"It was the hard work by the Council of Mayors South East Queensland that brought this City Deal to fruition and has seen millions of dollars flow to our region, including $5 million for a business case for the activation of the Bromelton State Development Area and funding for the Resilient Rivers SEQ Initiative." 

The overseas mission, which included 40 meetings, also aimed to strengthen partnerships with Singapore, one of Australia’s largest two-way trading partners, which generated $141 billion of direct foreign investment with Australia in 2023. 

Cr Sharp said the Singapore component of the mission provided an insight into the populous city-state's management of waste and the technologies which have minimised its community and environmental impacts and achieved significant advances towards a circular economy. 

The delegation explored Singapore's newest waste facility which is now diverting up to 800 tonnes of waste from landfill each day. 

"The importance of those learnings is the quantum of dollars that would be needed for a plant or a piece of infrastructure like that and the needs of South East Queensland going forward," he said. 

"It is nearing crunch time for South East Queensland, and indeed the whole of Queensland, as the State Government’s waste levy continues to increase along with its growing impact on ratepayers."