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Politics
Savannah Meacham

Door ajar for social housing at 2032 athletes village

The Queensland government says athlete villages may be used for the homeless before the Games. (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND GOVERNENMENT)

The door has been left ajar for the homeless to use a major Brisbane 2032 athletes village ahead of the Games in a backflip by the Queensland government.

There will be 2000 dwellings for 10,000 Olympic athletes built at Hamilton in Brisbane's north as one of the Games villages across the southeast including the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

Former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had earmarked the site to be fast-tracked and used before the Games to help ease the housing crisis.

Digital image of the Brisbane village
The athletes' village in Hamilton will accommodate 10,000 athletes (HANDOUT/QUEENSLAND GOVERNENMENT)

State Infrastructure Minister Grace Grace said the government was now "exploring options" to use the site for temporary accommodation pre-Games, a week after colleagues ruled out the idea.

She cautioned the plan may be difficult to achieve due to the village's configuration.

"We will look to see whether that can be done and maybe with modern methods of construction there might be ways to look at it. I don't think you can rule anything out."

It came after a plan for pre-Games temporary accommodation for the homeless was taken off the table at budget estimates last Wednesday.

"We are currently not planning to use the constructed dwellings for temporary accommodation to then transfer into Games mode to then transfer into permanent mode," Economic Development Queensland general manager Debbie McNamara told a hearing.

Housing is a key issue ahead of Queensland's October election, with the state government planning to build one million homes by 2046, including 53,500 social homes.

The Hamilton village will host athletes for the Olympics and Paralympics.

The site will be converted into permanent accommodation after the Games, with a yet-to-be decided mix of social, affordable and long-term options.

"We'll make sure that the mix is right," Ms Grace said.

Infrastructure Minister Grace Grace (file image)
Grace Grace says the village may be used for temporary accommodation before the Games. (Jono Searle/AAP PHOTOS)

Ahead of 2032, there will also be 200 social homes built by a Brisbane community housing provider at Hamilton.

An $87 million contract was awarded to BMD on Friday for the road network build around the Hamilton athletes' village, with construction to begin within weeks.

The accelerated works include several new roads in the Northshore precinct as well as enhancements to existing roads including a tree-lined boulevard to feature cycleways, footpaths and native landscaping.

The state government unveiled the plans after Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris last week asked for more enthusiasm for the Games and to stop making it a "political football".

The 2032 Olympics has been marred by controversy after the government rejected an independent review's recommendation to build a new stadium as the Games centrepiece, opting instead to upgrade ageing facilities.

The Liberal National Party plans to launch its own infrastructure review if elected in October.

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