‘Golden triangle’ of Games venues rejected by local, state leaders

A proposal for a “golden triangle” of venues for the Brisbane Olympics, including a 50,000-seat stadium in Victoria Park, has failed to win the support of local or state government leaders.

Former South Bank chairman Steve Wilson and his company-director wife, Jane, had proposed a 50,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park, an upgraded Suncorp Stadium, and a Madison Square Garden-style transformation of the Gabba into an indoor arena.

An artist’s impression of how Victoria Park in Brisbane might look when transformed into Barrambin.Credit: Brisbane City Council

“We need new facilities for this incredible city of ours that are fit for purpose for the future,” Mr Wilson told ABC Radio Brisbane on Wednesday morning.

Premier Steven Miles, speaking to journalists in Cairns, described Wilson as “a great Queenslander” who had made a “really valuable” contribution to the debate about new venues. However, Miles said he was wary of allocating funding beyond the existing envelope.

“It would be very difficult to get the Australian government to commit those funds,” he said.

“I’ve heard from Queenslanders – particularly in regional Queensland – that they think the existing funding allocation for the Olympics is enough. I don’t think they’d want to see a big increase in the amount of funding allocated.”

Miles is awaiting former mayor Graham Quirk’s independent review of planned Olympic venues amid concerns over the cost of the Gabba rebuild and Brisbane Arena projects.

The Wilsons are rallying against a “cut-price” Games, saying Brisbane should seize the opportunity to build world-class venues.

“What we have got to do ... is provide what our city and state needs in the next 10 years and the next 30 years,” Mr Wilson said.

“Melbourne had the wisdom and the vision to turn our cricket ground [the MCG] into a world-class stadium … that’s one of the greatest sporting precincts in the world.

“My proposal isn’t just about one place, it’s about ‘place-making’, it’s about activating places.”

Incumbent Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner was also reluctant to back the Wilsons’ proposal, describing it as “just one of many suggestions that are floating around”.

He said the park, which the council wants to transform into Barrambin, was already scheduled to host equestrian and BMX events at the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and was not suitable for a permanent stadium.

“The reality is, we are already beginning to create Brisbane’s biggest new park in 50 years,” Schrinner said on Wednesday. “As far as I am concerned, this is the plan for Victoria Park.”

The federal government is assessing the Barrambin plan and whether to commit funding under the SEQ City Deal.

The temporary equestrian and BMX venues in Victoria Park are outside the terms of reference of Quirk’s review, which is due by March 18.

Asked about the Wilsons’ proposal, Labor’s mayoral candidate, Tracey Price, said her party had always wanted the Olympics to leave a legacy throughout Brisbane, not just in the inner city.

But she said it was important to consider the outcome of the Quirk review.

“We need to wait for this vital report to come out which will give us a full picture on what we need to do to prepare for the 2032 Olympics,” she said.

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