Anna Bligh (pictured below, centre), the 37th Premier of Queensland, played a major role in helping the Gold Coast win the right to stage the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was present at the CGF General Assembly in St Kitts in November 2011 when the city defeated sole rival Hambantota of Sri Lanka by 43 votes to 27.

The 51-year-old Australian Labor Party (ALP) member was defeated in the state election at the end of last month by Newman of the Liberal National Party (LNP), who has now been sworn in as the new Premier of Queensland.

Bligh had originally hoped to establish a new Organising Committee Board for Gold Coast 2018 at the beginning of the year, but delayed plans because of the elections.

Newman will now be charged with establishing the Board and has the power to oversee the preparations for the event personally, having appointed himself as Commonwealth Games Minister.

The issue was discussed here in London by the CGF Executive Board where members were given an update on preparations for the Gold Coast via a submission letter from the Gold Coast Organising Committee.


Robertson, who chaired most of the two-day meeting, said they were happy with what they had received and were unconcerned by the results of the Queensland elections.

"The Gold Coast bid had cross-party support throughout and the opposition party, who are now the Government, always backed it," he told insidethegames following the conclusion of the Board meeting.

"We, therefore, expect that their support will be equal to the previous Government.

"Due to the timing of the elections, setting up the Gold Coast Board and making all the relevant appointments was delayed.

"But now that the elections are over and the results are in, there should be good progress in those areas in the coming months.

"Our President Prince Tunku Imran and our chief executive Mike Hooper will be going to the Gold Coast in June and that will be our first chance since they won the Games to get a more wholesome view of where they are at with everything.

"The CGF Executive Board was also given an update on Glasgow 2014 by Organising Committee chairman Lord Smith and chief executive David Grevemberg.

Robertson, who is chair of the CGF Coordination Commission for Glasgow 2014, praised the work being done in Scotland.

"What we are seeing in Glasgow and in Scotland is a growing competency which will deliver not only great Games in 2014 but will continue to support the event-hosting platform Scotland has been building for some time," he said.

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