With just seven years to the Brisbane Olympics, the pressure is on South-East Queensland. For developers—both public and private—delivering a huge pipeline of world-class venues, accommodation and infrastructure will be a major test.
This is one of the most ambitious delivery programs not only in Queensland but in Australia’s history, and it is bound to a fixed deadline.
Visitors, athletes and media will expect quality. Budgets will be under extreme public scrutiny. Queenslanders deserve long-lasting value from the giant spend. And to turn the heat up another notch, throw in persistent cost escalation, increasing labour competition, and industry-wide constraints on productivity growth.
The task ahead is daunting, yet some practical steps can smooth the path to success—if implemented now. The keys are cost clarity and rigour, careful planning and programming, strategic procurement approaches and smarter ways to build.
With tight budgets, intense scrutiny and ongoing escalation, there is no substitute for reliable cost estimation and rigorous control. Developers should seek cost certainty early—not only for construction but across each asset’s full lifecycle.
Live market intelligence, credible escalation modelling and realistic contingency allowances will contribute to a more transparent and reliable cost estimate. Those with experience of South-East Queensland will be able to reveal more specific location-based cost impacts and strategies to engage effectively with suppliers and reduce overheads.
The best time to balance the ledger between capital outlay, functionality, finishes and whole-of-life value is right from the start. It should be everyone’s priority to tease out feasible value opportunities where alternative materials or methods can realise savings without compromising the overall vision.
It’s also crucial that the scope is progressively refined and then locked down, with a shared understanding of what is achievable within the capital envelope. When contractors have confidence in the comprehensiveness and validity of the cost estimate, there’s less need for inflated contingencies.
Understanding the full cost picture is one thing. It’s another to keep costs reined in as projects progress.
Cost control relies on having the right systems in place to implement value opportunities, monitor and report regularly on progress and spending, and manage variations and risks. With inflation and competition likely to continue to drive escalation in the costs of materials and labour, cost discipline and structured cost reviews will be essential to delivering on expectations.
Shortages of skilled labour and low productivity in Queensland pose serious risks to timely delivery. With Olympic venues, major hospitals and energy infrastructure already underway, market capacity is tight.
In fact, Infrastructure Australia forecasts the need for up to 18,000 additional engineers in Queensland by 2032, not to mention the demand for trades. Yet boosting the skilled labour supply is a very long-term challenge and slow to shift.
This makes early planning and workforce analysis increasingly critical. Program analysis should explore how the design, procurement and construction phases could be staged or packaged strategically to match real-world constraints on resource availability and avoid clashes across overlapping programs.
Traditional procurement models may not offer the agility or speed needed to deliver such a large pipeline of projects in South-East Queensland in only a handful of years.
Particularly for smaller projects, packaging and procurement strategies will be crucial for maintaining the interest of the market despite such competition for resources.
Regardless of the scale of the project, delivery risk can be reduced through early engagement with the supply chain and the right procurement models and timing to secure market participation and competition. Developers will need to consider procurement pathways that appropriately allocate risk, incentivise performance, encourage innovation, and support rapid mobilisation and accelerated delivery.
On some Queensland construction sites, productive hours can amount to as little as 2.5 days a week, significantly affecting timelines and labour costs. With such constraints on productivity as well as labour, the only option is to work smarter.
Embracing advanced digital technologies is a must. BIM is only the beginning. digital twins, AI and automation all offer opportunities to revolutionise the speed, control and quality of builds through design, construction and operation.
These tools provide greater transparency and precision, encouraging collaboration, accelerating decision-making and avoiding rework.
Another opportunity to lift productivity is innovation in modern construction methods. Modular construction, offsite manufacturing and prefabricated, preassembled components can significantly increase speed, cut costs, and reduce labour intensity on site.
These innovations are gaining traction but need to be integrated from the outset rather than adopted as a late-stage resort.
Ensuring that major spending delivers long-lasting positive outcomes for a region’s communities is what true sustainability is all about. Every asset delivered for Brisbane 2032 should have a defined, viable post-Games use—whether that’s a venue converted into a multipurpose community facility, or an athlete’s village that can be converted into social or affordable housing or student accommodation, or infrastructure that caters for long-term growth in what is already Australia’s fastest growing region.
This means designing for flexibility, lower lifecycle costs and long-term sustainability—such as using low-maintenance and high-durability materials, embedding energy efficiency and planning for adaptive reuse.
The road to 2032 is steep and the clock is ticking. However, with the right strategy and partnerships in place, Queensland has the chance to not only deliver an exceptional Games, but also to define the future of Australian infrastructure. Now’s the time to plan smarter, build better, and leave a legacy that lasts.
Jack Shelley is a state director in Queensland at WT. He has worked across several of Queensland’s highest-profile projects and clients, including the Brisbane 2032 Olympics 100-day Review, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Powerlink, Queensland Hydro, Seqwater, Sequana, and Sunwater. As a chartered member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Jack holds deep expertise in quantity surveying, cost estimation from first principles, commercial management, and cost control.
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