Premier Anna Bligh is currently in Delhi lobbying to bring the 2018 Commonwealth Games to the Gold Coast.  The ABC (Bligh pitches Gold Coast bid to Games federation) reports Ms Bligh as commenting:

“The Commonwealth Games has the capacity to transform the cities that it is held in and we want this to be a transforming experience for the Gold Coast – one of Australia’s fastest growing cities.

“We think the games are very important to taking the Gold Coast to the next stage of its development.”

We may end up grateful if we lose out to Hambantota in Sri Lanka, the only other city bidding, however.  With the Gold Coast one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, there is already strong demand for infrastructure, and the opportunities forgone (e.g, building hospitals or schools), by diverting funding and resources to building and upgrading sporting venues, need to be considered.

There is also the cost burden of having to maintain new sporting facilities which may be excess to requirements following the Games.  Of course, the Queensland Government may benefit from the lessons coming out of Melbourne’s Commonwealth Games experience.  As Age journalist Kenneth Davidson noted (prior to the Melbourne Games) in 2004 (The real cost of our Games):

The strategic mistake of the Bracks Government was that it didn’t have the sense to see that the Commonwealth Games are an event that should be organised around the city – making use of existing facilities and only undertaking new capital works that fit in with the long-term sporting and infrastructure needs of the city. Why build an athletes’ village on public parkland when, with a bit of foresight, the accommodation could have been provided at a fraction of the cost in university residential colleges (a la Manchester) or cruise ships (Athens)?

Melbourne 2006 has made the classic mistake of Olympic host cities by building sports facilities that, apart from the MCG refurbishment, are likely to become post-Games white elephants because local sports groups can’t afford the cost of keeping them open.

Overall, considering the experiences of different cities across the globe, major sporting events typically don’t bring the economic benefits their promoters expect.  A good read on the costs and benefits of hosting major sporting events is here:

Estimating the Cost and Benefit of Hosting Olympic Games: What Can Beijing Expect from Its 2008 Games?