Historic school may be first casualty of Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic Games

The Palaszczuk government has introduced legislation to shape the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, setting the scene for an untold number of political, logistical and financial disputes.

Over the next decade, the body created by that legislation – the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2023 Olympic Games – will make the decisions that determine whether the event can live up to global expectations.

The red-brick, heritage-listed East Brisbane State School may be the first casualty of Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic Games.Credit: Tony Moore

But one decision will be much more local: judging the impact of a complex billion-dollar rebuild of the Brisbane Cricket Ground, known as the Gabba and set to become the main Olympic stadium, on a 122-year-old, heritage-listed red-brick school built in 1899.

East Brisbane State School and its 282 students are already overshadowed by the Gabba, which dominates the big-city block flanked by major thoroughfares.

A proposal to rebuild the Gabba, and make better use of the adjoining Cross River Rail station, has put the future of the school in doubt.

It has also infuriated the Morrison government, which had expected to jointly make such decisions on infrastructure given it was expected to share the cost.

Under the new, more sustainable model for Olympic host cities, existing sporting venues are required to be used wherever possible to save money and avoid waste. That was expected to be the case for Brisbane, until Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk unexpectedly announced the Gabba would become the jewel in the 2032 crown.

“Every Games needs a home,” Ms Palaszczuk said in April.

“The Gabba has been home to our sport since 1895. A home for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games could be its crowning glory.”

The prospect of an estimated $1 billion in taxpayer funds being spent demolishing the Gabba and raising its capacity by 8000 to house 50,000 people angered the federal government.

While there were no specific planning documents, let alone any approvals, the intention of the Palaszczuk government was clear.

An artist’s impression of the proposed redesign of the Gabba, released by the Premier in May 2021.

By the time Brisbane was formally named the 2032 host city, the new stadium was part of the package, even if the neighbouring school was not.

School parents who met with Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe and Education Minister Grace Grace in August were told the school “would face disruption” and the existing stadium “would be razed to the ground”.

The whole school site was listed by the Queensland Heritage Council in 1994, with some parts – the main red-brick rooms and halls – considered highly significant and other parts less so. Even the school’s fig trees are heritage listed.

“East Brisbane State School survives as evidence of the rapid growth of East Brisbane and Woolloongabba, which accompanied the expansion of public transport in Brisbane around the turn of the 19th century,” the heritage listing reads.

Will the 122-year old school survive in its current location right beside the soon to be rebuilt cricket ground? Credit: Tony Moore

“Both the population boom and the substantial brick buildings at East Brisbane State School are illustrative of the late 1890s-early 1900s economic high on which Queensland entered the 20th century.

“East Brisbane State School is significant as one of the first large State Schools in Brisbane.”

In the mid 1990s, the school faced relocation when the Brisbane Bears AFL team moved into the Gabba. In a series of multimillion-dollar upgrades, the school lost ground, buildings and a sense of place. But it survived.

Haline Ly, president of East Brisbane State School’s P&C Association, summarised the depth of feeling over the long-term uncertainty around the Gabba.

“The critical element of ensuring a smooth transition is addressing that uncertainty early,” Ms Ly said calmly, as tears appeared on the face of a fellow parent.

“Right now, we just need a clear plan.”

Louise – a teacher’s aide at the school – agreed, and said parents were looking for clarity.

“It’s a beautiful school, and it’s in the centre of things,” she said.

“But many people don’t even know we are here. That’s the hardest thing. No one really knows what is going to happen.

“My heart would love to stay. But we are only a little school. There are so many people involved.”

The Gabba was good enough to host last year’s AFL grand final, but the Palaszczuk government is looking to the future. By 2032, it will be a seven-day-a-week entertainment zone, surrounded by new developments.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said providing a home for the 2032 Olympic Games could be the Gabba’s “crowning glory”.Credit: Getty

The proposed upgrade includes pedestrian links across and down Main Street, extensive new facilities, new lighting, seating and stadium technologies.

The Education Minister was diplomatic this week when asked about the future of the school.

“As we are well aware, East Brisbane State School sits on an extremely constrained site in the shadows of the Gabba grandstand and bordered by three busy main roads,” Ms Grace said.

“Now that Brisbane has been awarded the 2032 Games, the Gabba will be transformed into the main Olympic stadium to host ceremonies and athletics events.”

Ms Grace said she had met several times with the school’s staff and its P&C group.

“I initially met with the principal and P&C representative on April 22,” Ms Grace said, referring to the days after Palaszczuk announced the redevelopment.

“I met again with representatives from the school on Thursday, August 5, along with Sport Minister Hinchliffe and his department.

“I know that the Department of Education facilitated a stakeholders’ workshop on Monday, October 11, to further explore future options.”

Education Minister Grace Grace (left), pictured with Premier and Olympics Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk (right), will need to accommodate concerns at East Brisbane State School as the Gabba is demolished.Credit: Jack Tran

Ms Grace insisted nothing about the school’s future had been decided.

“It is still very early days,” she said.

“We will continue to consult fully with the school and support them in any way they need as we work through this process.”

Parents in the area have been advised to consider the new Brisbane South State Secondary College at Dutton Park, the new West End State School and the new Fortitude Valley secondary college.

One option is for an expansion of Coorparoo Secondary College.Credit: Tony Moore

One option - among several being discussed by Education Queensland - was using land available at the nearby Coorparoo Secondary College to relocate East Brisbane students and staff. Senior staff confirmed there was enough room there to expand the school to include primary school students.

Some East Brisbane State School students already walk to Coorparoo to use their oval and the two schools’ catchments were very similar.

Nicky Middleton, a parent on a P&C committee, believed bigger-picture issues needed to be decided first and asked whether a school was even included in the proposed design for the Gabba.

“If you don’t have a brief which includes the school to begin with, the school won’t be considered as part of the brief for the stadium,” Ms Middleton said.

“If you get the brief right to begin with, then you can get an answer that is right for the brief. But if you get the brief wrong, then the answer doesn’t deal with it at all.”