Brisbane 2032: Lord Mayor’s vision for the city includes no lockout laws, and 24/7 trading hours

Scrapped lockout laws, and 24-hour trading are two of the bold proposals Brisbane’s Lord Mayor has for the city during and after the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has outlined his vision for Brisbane to transform into a “Barcelona-style” party city for the 2032 Games and beyond, calling for lockout laws to be scrapped, street parties and 24/7 trading hours.

Speaking at Thursday’s Queensland Media Club Mr Schrinner also revealed his support for the $2.7bn rebuild of the Gabba, but said the state and federal governments must not lose sight of delivering key transport infrastructure.

Mr Schrinner said the opportunities for Brisbane to become a global city as a result of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games “were endless”, but the long lasting impression “won’t just be about sport”.

“Brisbane should aim to be the Barcelona of the Southern Hemisphere,” he said.

“Today, Barcelona is a tourist mecca that is regarded as a fun place to visit, a thriving place, and a big part of that was how they transformed the city for the (1992) Olympic Games.”

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner wants Brisbane to become the Barcelona of the southern hemisphere. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Saying he sometimes liked going shopping “in the middle of the night” but could only go to the “Brisbane Airport Woolies”, Mr Schrinner said there was surely a greater demand for longer trading hours.

“Why is that? Why can’t we change that?” he said.

“I’d like to see all kinds of things put on the table, from 24-hour trading in our inner-city areas, through to activating a network of suburban village precincts for (Olympic) live sites and street parties.

“I’d like to see the state government’s lockout laws scrapped – although, that’s a position I’ve had well before the Games came along.

“I’d like to see trading hours for retailers and licensed venues become part of this discussion. That flexibility is something we should consider.”

Brisbane will be in full party mode for the 2032 Games.

Asked whether he had concerns the state and federal governments were losing sight of the original vision of the Games as put forward by the Council of SEQ mayors – essentially to fast-track transport infrastructure – Mr Schrinner said there was time to get it right.

“It is right to have concerns, but I’m not saying that those concerns mean that nothing will happen, or we won’t get a good outcome,” he said.

“But it is right to be concerned now, so that we don’t have to be concerned later.

“We’re really reaching out across all levels of government to talk transport and to talk planning.

“The good news is we have the City Deal which was signed last year and provides a vehicle with which investment from all three levels of government can go for these transport projects.”

On the rebuild of the Gabba, Mr Schrinner said “even if we didn’t have the Games, the Gabba would need an upgrade”.

“It is no longer fit for purpose,” he said.

“The Gabba is used for 40 weeks out of the year. It will be used even more once it’s been upgraded. As so this is an ongoing asset for the community.”