Paralympics Australia to prioritise AIS despite Brisbane centre of excellence plans

PA officials say a proposed new facility in Brisbane could emerge as a long-term home for the governing body, with plans for the centre to cater for 20 sports and employ 22 full-time staff members.

But AIS staff say the Bruce campus has been Australian sport's leading centre of excellence for a long time and they expect to remain at the top of the food chain.

Federal government funding is crucial to getting a proposed new Brisbane base off the ground, with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking her federal counterparts to match the $44 million put forth by the state government and University of Queensland.

Should the project get the green light, construction would begin by 2026 with an aim to be completed by 2028 at the University of Queensland St Lucia campus.

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The plans have sparked queries about the future of the AIS' Bruce campus and the role it will play for Paralympic athletes ahead of the 2032 Games in Brisbane.

"From Paralympics Australia's perspective, this proposal would be a purely 'value-add' facility and would not diminish the fundamental role that the AIS plays in Australian Paralympic sport. PA will always prioritise its relationship with the ASC and AIS," a Paralympics Australia spokesman said.

Paralympics Australia President Jock O'Callaghan says the proposed centre of excellence will provide "limitless" opportunities for current and prospective athletes with a disability.

O'Callaghan says one in four of 4.3 million Australians with a disability plays sport, yet three in four want to.

"The standard of Paralympic competition globally is constantly rising and this is the kind of investment in our future that's necessary if we are to maintain our proud record of success at the Games," O'Callaghan said.

"But it's not just about the elite level. We need to give many more people with a disability access to sport so they can gain the many benefits that come from participation.

"The University of Queensland share our ambitions, which will anchor our planned partnership for many years ahead. The opportunities it provides are limitless.

"In our strategic plan which we released early this month, we outlined the action required to address the obstacles that people with a disability face accessing sport and the benefits this action could deliver to the whole country.

"The Queensland government has shown that the Brisbane 2032 Paralympics can deliver tangible outcomes before the Games and a meaningful legacy that will live on for generations. The proposed development would produce Paralympic champions and develop world-leading sporting expertise."

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