Episode 3: Infrastructure vs the housing trade-off in Olympic cities: Can Brisbane 2032 get it right? with Mr Rod Fehring and Dr Lyndall Bryant

Last week, Queensland Premier David Crisafulli described Brisbane 2032 as "the Queensland Games", promising global spotlight benefits through intergenerational infrastructure, tourism and sports. But behind the glossy Olympic vision lies a harder question: who wins and who loses when your city becomes the centre of the world?

In this episode, we explore the hidden costs of Olympic glory and the trade-offs between infrastructure investment and housing affordability with two leading experts who have seen both sides of the housing equation: Mr Rod Fehring, Executive Chairman of Frasers Property and member of the NSW Housing Expert Panel, and Dr Lyndall Bryant, Senior Lecturer at QUT and Head of the QUT Housing Security Research Group.

Here’s what we discussed:

• The infrastructure trap: New stadiums and train lines sound great - until you realise they are pricing out the very communities they are supposed to serve. With Brisbane property already unaffordable for many, can Olympic upgrades avoid making it worse?

• Renters get displaced: In Olympic host cities, evictions spike and short-term leases push out long-term tenants. With Brisbane's rental crisis already biting, how do we protect renters when the world comes to town?

• Hotel targets squeeze housing supply: Brisbane meets the IOC's 40,000 hotel room quota - but at what cost? As homeowners shift to short stays, where does that leave long-term renters?

• The missing middle squeeze: Brisbane struggles to build the medium-density housing that could house key workers and young families near Olympic venues. Without it, who gets to live in the city the Games are supposed to celebrate?

• Big promises, uneven gains: Since the 1960s, only Los Angeles has made money hosting the Olympics. Most cities are left with debt and deeper inequality. Will Brisbane’s infrastructure serve the whole community, or just the Games? And can affordable and social housing finally become part of the legacy?

Listen now to hear how Brisbane can avoid the mistakes of past host cities and create a Games legacy that leaves no one behind.

Keywords: Affordable housing, Olympic cities, housing displacement, infrastructure, modern construction methods, Airbnb, housing legacy, urban development, Brisbane 2032, housing accessibility