Miles says Gabba revamp likely after failure to sell the public on a rebuild

The news

Queensland Premier Steven Miles says his decision to call for a fresh independent look at plans to rebuild the Gabba after consistently supporting the proposal was driven by a failure to sell it to the public.

“I don’t think I succeeded at convincing Queenslanders, and Queenslanders were saying to me everywhere I went that they thought there should be an alternative,” Miles said.

Steven Miles said he thought it was “likely that we’ll have ... maybe more like a renovation or refurbishment than a redevelopment” of the Gabba.

Answering questions after releasing his government’s housing plan at a Queensland Media Club event in Brisbane, Miles also appeared to waver on what the result of a 60-day review might be.

But he expected the redevelopment and housing flagged to transform the Gabba precinct into the “next South Bank” would likely go ahead whether the stadium was rebuilt or – perhaps more likely – refurbished.

Why it matters

One of Miles’ first actions after being elevated to the state’s top job was to promise a review of 2032 Olympic venue plans, to be headed by former LNP lord mayor Graham Quirk.

Tasked with finding better-value options, if any, the review panel’s recommendations are due to be released by March 18. But Miles, in his previous role, was adamant the current plans were the best value for money.

His admission that he failed to convince the public about the $2.7 billion Gabba rebuild – despite suggestions it was the ageing stadium’s best option – comes as he now tries to sell his much-hyped housing plan.

With an election looming in October, and as cost-of-living pressures hit residents, both the LNP and Greens have been making their own pitches on housing, as well as opposition to a full Gabba rebuild.

What they said

Asked whether the development slated for the key inner-city area would likely still deliver houses regardless of the Gabba outcome, Miles said a new public transport hub would help drive this.

“I do think it’s likely that we’ll have ... maybe more like a renovation or refurbishment than a redevelopment, and so that will still bring amenity and a venue that people will like to live close to,” he said.

But the premier said he hoped the discussion could move beyond seeing the Gabba work as only happening for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to it being one element of a greater legacy project.

And he reiterated that he had sought alternatives to a full rebuild, but that none had been viable.

“So it’s entirely possible this review comes back and says that we have to go with that original plan ... but if there is an alternative, well, that’s great news too,” he said.

LNP housing spokesperson Tim Mander, speaking at a separate media conference, labelled the housing plan the latest in a line of Labor government documents that had not fixed the problem.

More reading

The government released that plan in full on Tuesday, but almost all of its details had been announced over the past week.

• Number of youth housing sites to be almost quadrupled
• Developer discounts, affordable housing trials to help tackle Qld supply woes
• $160m relief package to help struggling Queensland tenants
• More cash splashed for evidence-based lift to social housing targets
• Miles must raise the roof on Tuesday with Qld’s long-awaited housing plan

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