
Queensland to repeal diversity quotas for Brisbane Olympics board
The change to the Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (OCOG) board is contained in an obscure clause in broad-ranging legislation sponsored by the deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie, in May. It is not mentioned in either its explanatory speech or explanatory notes.
According to a written briefing by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, made during consideration by a parliamentary committee, the bill would 'enhance efficiency and effectiveness' by 'removing certain requirements for the appointment of OCOG board directors'.
That includes 'that 50% of nominated directors be women' and 'that at least one of the independent directors is Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander'.
The bill has yet to pass parliament but is certain to do so if all government members vote for it.
Renee Carr, the executive director of Fair Agenda, said 'women should be an equal part of making the critical decisions that shape its legacy'.
'There's been important progress in recognising women's contribution to sport – as athletes, coaches, and in leadership. We should be leaning into what's possible, not going backwards,' she said.
'Hosting an event of this scale will impact Queensland's economy, infrastructure and tourism. Women's voices and expertise must be an equal part of planning a games that delivers for the whole community.'
The executive director of QUT's Carumba Institute, Prof Chelsea Watego, said the plan to remove the requirement was an 'appalling decision'.
She said the Sydney Olympics was able to make decisions with a board that included an Indigenous representative, Lowitja O'Donoghue, so there was no case that excluding them would make it more efficient.
'It just tells you how far backwards Queensland has gone under an LNP government,' she said.
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Watego said that Brisbane, Queensland and Australia would be on the international stage.
'We're under a microscope, and we have to think very seriously about what this tells the world about who we are as a nation, who we are as a state, and the location of Indigenous peoples and women in relation to that.'
Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander said: 'The Crisafulli government has accepted the recommendation of the independent 100 Day Review of the Games to streamline governance arrangements.
'The act is currently before the state development, infrastructure and works committee.'
The Planning (Social Impact and Community Benefit) and Other Legislation Amendment bill 2025 has a wide-ranging scope, and more than 700 individuals and groups made a submission during a parliamentary inquiry process.
Among other changes, the bill will reduce the size of the OCOG board from 24 to 15.
It also amends regulation of renewables projects to make them easier for opponents to challenge in court and exempts Olympic venues from legal challenge.
The OCOG board is appointed by multiple different agencies separate from the state government, such as the federal sports minister and the president of the Australian Olympic Committee.
A legal provision will still apply requiring consideration of the state government's policy on gender equity on boards. The policy sets a non-binding target for gender equity, and does not cover Indigenous representation.
The Brisbane Olympics will be held from 23 July to 8 August 2032, with the Paralympics running from 24 August to 5 September. Queensland has never held an Olympics but has hosted the Commonwealth Games, most recently in 2018.
A binding provision that the 2032 games be 'climate positive' has also been reportedly removed from the Olympic host contract. It will now aim 'at removing more carbon from the atmosphere than what the Games project emits'.
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Times
10 minutes ago
- Times
Much to our surprise, Lions' win was one of greatest Tests of all time
The official attendance here at the MCG was 90,307 and it was fitting that it should have been a record crowd. Yet actually it was a shame the other 9,717 seats were empty because you just want everyone in the world to get to experience a game like this. You never know when it's coming. You certainly wouldn't have known after the first Test the week before. You might reasonably have thought this was something of a humdrum Lions tour. But then, there we were in this magnificent iconic venue and suddenly, bang, there ignited one of the greatest matches of all. Maybe it was something to do with the MCG. Maybe it was the fury of the downtrodden Wallabies because they flew out of the blocks with a venom and passion that was magnificent. And maybe it took the Lions to play like pussy cats for the first half hour — because the thrill was the thrill of the chase. Yet this was scintillating, loud and riveting but not just at the end with the clock running down and the Lions running out of time, it was like that all the way through. Eleven minutes to go and the stadium announcer tried to raise the voices of the local support. 'Wallabies fans have gone a bit quiet!' he said. And no they hadn't, but you could perhaps forgive the volume dropping slightly when the game was right on the edge and hearts were in mouths. Yet all he achieved was to trigger more tumultuous choruses of 'Lions! Lions!' No, it's not a very clever chant, but that doesn't matter when it's countdown to kick-off and the MCG is throbbing to the sound of it. Half an hour in and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii rips open the Lions' defence, putting Tom Wright through for what is, so far at least, the try of the series, and there it is again: that Lions chant, loud and demanding, beseeching a reaction — something, anything. The Lions are being cut to shreds here, they're yielding to the awesome giant Will Skelton, they're dropping balls and losing their heads, yet somehow in this maelstrom of noise and physical assault they put their foot on the ball and they achieve briefly the clarity of thought that enables them to get a foot back in the game. And therein they started to mount the comeback that became the narrative of the incredible occasion. At some later point, after decent pause for the necessary reflection, we might be able to place this Melbourne Test in its rightful position amongst the greatest of all rugby matches. Top ten? I don't know right now but my mind went to the 1999 World Cup semi-finals and France coming back to stun the All Blacks at Twickenham. The All Blacks, there, ran up a 24-10 lead. The Wallabies' lead here was four points greater. France, on that occasion, were the outsiders, so their miracle uprising was less expected. The Lions, here, just were desperately searching for the opportunity to assert some dominance and quality and yet they were simultaneously charging around, putting out Wallaby fires: Jack Conan: 24 tackles, Maro Itoje 20, Tom Curry 15 in just 55 minutes, the 15th of those being the one on Suaalii that stopped a fourth Australia try that would have made the deficit surely too much to chase. In that 1999 semi, France just flew past the All Blacks who couldn't believe what was happening. The Lions, here, had to scrap for every inch and, with the seconds ticking, were like a boxer still needing a final-round knock-out. Thus we had the knife-edge finish, the Lions somehow keeping their heads when the entire crowd were losing theirs, Finn Russell marshalling the team with an extraordinarily calm intelligence until finally the defence was dragged far enough one way for Hugo Keenan to find the smallest chink of light the other. Cue vast explosions of joy. 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But Itoje struggled to contain his grin because the press conference room was right next to the Lions' changing room from where his team-mates were blasting out their bespoke version of 'Rockin' All Over the World' with lyrics rewritten by Fin Smith and 'Biz Faz' and 'Captain Maro' references peppered through the choruses. Farrell and Itoje were followed into the press room by Joe Schmidt, the Wallabies coach, and his captain Harry Wilson and you had to feel for them because as they attempted to deal with the inquest and as Wilson attempted to choke back his tears, the riotous chorus next door moved through the Lions' playlist, from Sweet Caroline to Robbie Williams to The Pogues. The contrast, of course, was vast: two teams at polar opposite ends of the emotional spectrum but separated only by a controversial refereeing decision in the last seconds of the match. Yet this was a game where one team so badly needed the other. The Wallabies needed the Lions to trigger a performance which earned them the respect that they had been denied. The Lions needed that huge Wallabies performance to give their achievements the credibility that they have been seeking. No one can say now that this was not a proper victory earned by properly tested Lions. Together, then, they contrived to produce one of the greatest rugby contests, so special, you wish the whole world could have been here to share it.


South Wales Guardian
34 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Andy Farrell and Joe Schmidt disagree over ref call as Lions clinch series win
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The Sun
40 minutes ago
- The Sun
Irish rugby legend Ronan O'Gara gets POOED ON live on Sky Sports after Lions' epic comeback win over Australia
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