the sydney 2000 olympic and paralympic games - Australian Sports ...

PART TWO : PREPARATION FOR THE GAMES
SOCOG was established as a wholly owned Government Corporation and was subject to the requirements
of New South Wales public sector administrative legislation including the Public Finance and Audit Act, the
Annual Reports Act, the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act, the Ombudsman Act and the
Freedom of Information Act.
Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC)
The NSW Government established SPOC in January 1995 as a public company limited by guarantee. With
the signing of the Host City Contract later in 1995, the NSW Minister for the Olympics took overall
responsibility for the Paralympic Games.
The functions of SPOC were similar to those of SOCOG but while recognising that each of the Sydney
Games had their separate and unique identities, economies of scale and efficiencies in operation could be
achieved by combining many of the operational methods and personnel of both Games to, in effect, deliver
a combined 60 day event. Consequently, the Boards of SOCOG and SPOC agreed in 1995 to an
Operational Partnership as the most viable way of optimising the delivery of the Sydney Paralympic
Games. As a consequence, SPOC remained a relatively small organisation which received through the
NSW Government and SOCOG substantial logistical, services and resources support.
Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA)
At the time that SOCOG was created, four government ministers and five separate government agencies
were undertaking the NSW Government's Olympic responsibilities, including construction of facilities and
co-ordination of services. The Government’s Olympic entities included, in addition to the Office of Olympic
Co-ordination in the Premier’s Department, the Olympic Construction Authority, housed in the Public
Works Department; the Homebush Bay Development Corporation which was responsible for providing
most Olympic venues; part of the Department of Sport and Recreation, which had responsibility for
delivering certain other new Olympic facilities such as the rowing course and velodrome; and part of the
Department of Planning, which was responsible for securing venues for the equestrian and mountain bike
events. In areas of the State’s other main Olympic responsibilities, working committees on health,
transport and security had been established by the Government to bring together SOCOG and the different
arms of government that were to deliver these services.
In March 1995, action was taken to simplify the management structure for Olympic activities within
Government and to improve consultation with both the Commonwealth and local Government. The
portfolio of Minister for the Olympics was established and OCA was formed on 30 June 1995.
OCA was entrusted with two principal tasks: firstly, to deliver venues and facilities for use during the
Olympic and Paralympic Games. New venues were required to also meet the long-term social, cultural and
sporting requirements of the people of New South Wales. This included the construction of all new Olympic
venues within and outside the Homebush Bay precinct, the Olympic and Media Villages and Olympic
facilities in accordance with the Host City obligations under the Host City Contract.
In relation to Homebush Bay, OCA was specifically responsible for the orderly economic planning, urban
development and management of the precinct. This included site remediation, habitat rehabilitation, flood
prevention works, services provision and infrastructure development as pre-conditions to venue and
facility construction.
The second principal task of OCA was the co-ordination of all aspects of the NSW Government’s
involvement in Games programs and service provision. This included co-ordinating and reporting on the
expenditures and Olympic initiatives of all government agencies and the management of the Government’s
relationship with SOCOG and SPOC.
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