Olympic Recalibration: Key Recommendation of New Stadium Rejected by Government

Brisbane Development I Last updated: 18/03/24 at 5:20 AM

Queensland Government Rejects Recommendation for Victoria Park Stadium

The Queensland Government has announced that it will adopt 27 of the 30 recommendations out of the Quirk review, however the big announcement is that it will not build the recommended new Olympic stadium and instead use Suncorp Stadium and the 1977 built QSAC (Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre) as the Olympic venues.

Despite the review stating that a $1.5bn upgrade of QSAC “does not represent value for money”, the government plans to upgrade the nathan facility and Suncorp Stadium, subject to due diligence and consultation with games partners.

The government will proceed with the recommendation to build the Brisbane Arena (formerly known as Brisbane Live) at the northern corner of Roma Street Parklands.

The previously proposed re-build of the Gabba will not proceed, instead replaced with a more modest enhancement of the existing facility in consultation with AFL, Cricket Australia, and other stakeholders. Those sports will no longer be displaced from the Gabba, and East Brisbane State School will not need to vacate its current site by the end of 2025. However future works to the Gabba are expected to impact the school, and the government will work closely with the school community as those plans develop.

In a significant turn of events, a monumental recommendation has been made to abandon the contentious Gabba rebuild in favour of constructing a state-of-the-art $3.4 billion 55,000 seat stadium at Victoria Park, situated in inner-Brisbane.

The proposal, unveiled in a review of Olympic venues by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, also advocates for the development of the new Brisbane Live indoor arena costing $2.5 billion at Roma Street Parkland, adjacent to the Normanby fiveways intersection.

The review, conducted over a 60-day period, was initiated by Premier Steven Miles in response to public dissatisfaction surrounding the Gabba project championed by former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

It considered over 900 public submissions, assessed 28 potential venue sites, and engaged with 130 stakeholders.

In the end, it concluded that a 55,000-seat oval stadium at Victoria Park would offer the optimal solution for both the Olympic Games and the city at large.

Additionally, the review rejects the proposal to host athletics events at Nathan, citing concerns over cost-effectiveness, poor mass transit access and legacy.

Revealing the actual cost of the Gabba redevelopment, including displacement costs for AFL and cricket, the review estimates a total expenditure of up to $3.4 billion—$700 million more than initially claimed by the State Government.

The cost of a stadium in Victoria Park is likely to be marginally more expensive than the full Gabba rebuild, with better operational efficiencies and outcomes that would deliver a true international standard venue enabling Brisbane to compete with other top stadiums in Australia

60-day review of Olympic Infrastructure

The review recommends the establishment of an entertainment arena in the inner city to replace the aging Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall.

While the preferred site for this arena was initially proposed to be over the new Cross River Rail station at Roma Street, perceived logistical complexities involving rail line disruption and financial constraints of an estimated $4 billion led to an alternative recommendation.

Instead, it recommends building Brisbane Live at a the non-parkland northern corner of Roma Street precinct which currently houses a carpark and workshop depot. This corner was originally set aside by the former Beattie government for a landmark public museum-style building.

BrisbaneDevelopment.com concept image of recommended new Brisbane Live location

Mr. Quirk emphasises the necessity of swift action in clarifying and confirming funding arrangements with the Australian Government to ensure the realisation of the revised Olympic venue works.

He commends Mr. Miles’s initiative to establish a dedicated and independent Olympic delivery authority, advocating for expedited procurement processes to mitigate cost escalations.

Premier Steven Miles said on Sunday that there would be no more reviews following this 60-day review and promised that an independent Olympic organising authority would take over all planning decisions going forward immediately – which is a stark contrast to the previous decisions of the Palaszczuk-Labor government which didn’t set up such an authority.

In light of the impending international attention that the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games will bring, the review underscores the importance of delivering legacy sporting venues efficiently.

It acknowledges the intense community interest surrounding these developments and highlights the potential of the Games as a catalyst for social and economic growth.

While the review primarily focuses on sports venues, it does not encompass assessments of athlete villages or other infrastructure projects outside the scope of the sports venues program.

The fate of the Gabba stadium itself is also not yet known as the operational costs of maintaining the stadium as is would cost around $500 million over the next decade. Ideas have been floated from creating new parkland and affordable housing to other public infrastructure.

It is not yet known if the Miles-led Queensland government will accept Quirk’s recommendations, however with an impending state election, adopting recommendations by the the former Brisbane LNP mayor Graham Quirk would assist in depoliticising the Olympic games infrastructure development before the Olympic organising authority can be formed.

Author: Brisbane Development