Brisbane will go without a flame at the 2032 Olympics, after the Government confirmed that the rights to mine it had already been sold to foreign companies.
“Having a flame that burns throughout the two-weeks of the Olympics is a long-held tradition, but so is Australia selling off its natural resources for nothing,” Resources Minister Madeline King said. “Nothing encapsulates the Australian spirit more than letting a multinational extract our gas while we all stand by and clap”.
Under the agreement, companies will be able to access the gas royalty free, and then export it to other countries at a profit. “We are exploring the option of buying back the flame at a premium from the country that we export it to, so we can still have a flame at the Games. That kind of thing Australia is really good at”.
She said the scheme would create thousands of jobs for Queenslanders. “And when I say thousands of jobs, I mean two jobs. Possibly part time. For a couple of weeks. It really is the boost our economy needs”.
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Image by Chris Murray
