Brisbane Arena axed from Olympics, its fate left to private sector

A new Brisbane Arena has been axed from Olympic plans, but the Crisafulli government hopes the entertainment venue can still be built with private funding.

The government’s independent review recommended the long-proposed venue be moved from Roma Street Parkland to Woolloongabba, where it would still host swimming events with a temporary “drop-in” pool.

But Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie told the review panel three weeks ago the arena was not “essential infrastructure for the Games”, and the LNP government believed swimming deserved a world-class venue of its own.

Concept designs for Brisbane Live, the precursor to Brisbane Arena, released by the state government in 2019. It is depicted at its original site.Credit: Queensland government

The government has opted to build a 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre on the site of the existing Centenary Pool, not far from the planned Olympic stadium, at Spring Hill.

Premier David Crisafulli said the government still believed Brisbane needed an indoor concert venue better than the ageing entertainment centre at Boondall.

“Let me be clear, Brisbane needs a world-class Brisbane Arena in the CBD,” he said on Tuesday.

“The government’s decision not to proceed with the arena as part of the Games plan does not mean the death of Brisbane Arena, far from it.

“I can reveal today, the state government has seen offers from the private sector to build a Brisbane arena for the fraction of costs for taxpayers … and we will proceed immediately with a market-led proposal.”

The government wants $2.5 billion in federal funding, earmarked for the construction of Brisbane Arena, to be spent on other Games projects.

The Live Nation/Oak View Group/Plenary consortium’s design for Brisbane Arena in Olympic swimming mode.

While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had earlier backed the Brisbane Arena proposal, the commonwealth-state funding agreement will now be renegotiated ahead of the federal election.

Bleijie told reporters he was confident Brisbane Arena could be built at the former GoPrint site in Woolloongabba, above the Cross River Rail station, with private funding before 2032.

“I think there will be win-win for that industry and for the entertainment precinct,” he said.

No Games events are scheduled to be held at the arena, however, and the government has backed the independent review panel’s finding that a stadium at Victoria Park could also host concerts.

The Gabba – which has hosted cricket matches for more than 120 years – is set to be torn down after the Olympics and replaced by unit towers, with cricket and AFL clubs moving to Victoria Park.

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