Brisbane 2032: Frontier Touring backs calls for centrally located stadium as legacy driver
The group that brought Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney to Australia has backed calls for a new Olympic stadium for Brisbane.
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One of Australia’s biggest concert promoters has backed calls for a new Olympic stadium for Brisbane, saying it would provide a legacy “that lives for decades beyond the Games”.
Frontier Touring, which has brought mega acts including Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney to Australia, has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the Miles Government’s flat refusal to build a new inner-city stadium.
This is despite a new stadium being a key recommendation of the government’s own Olympics infrastructure review and pressure from leading business figures and sports stars and officials.
Instead, the government will spend $2.7b upgrading the Gabba, Suncorp Stadium and Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre at Nathan, which will become the smallest Olympic stadium in 100 years.
Dion Brant, CEO of Frontier Touring which was co-founded by Australian music legend Michael Gudinski and top promoter Michael Chugg, has joined a chorus of calls for the government to use the Olympics opportunity to leave a real legacy for Brisbane and Queensland.
It comes after the government rejected exciting new plans unveiled by a consortium of leading architects for a privately-funded, 60,000-seat riverfront stadium on the Northshore site at Hamilton as part of a $6b Olympic precinct.
Mr Brant said while Suncorp Stadium currently met most of Brisbane’s larger concert needs, “alternative venue options are always good however and from time to time something larger could add value”.
“We believe that the Olympics should provide a legacy that lives for decades beyond the Games themselves,” he said.
“A new inner-city stadium would provide that legacy for Brisbane. Some of the most celebrated venues in the world are centrally located and easily accessible to locals and visitors. The Olympics is a very real opportunity for Brisbane to reshape itself as a city and major events destination.”
Asked about the Northshore proposal, Mr Brant said: “The proposal looks exciting and the design looks impressive but we do not have enough detail to be able to properly judge it.”
He said a new stadium could potentially help Brisbane – which missed out on hosting a Taylor Swift concert – attract more big-name acts.
“It certainly can’t hurt,” he said. “It’s not just about the stadium, however. Artists will look at where they can best reach the most fans with the amount of time they have available in a region such as Australia and New Zealand so population and fan demand will always play a factor in decisions. It is a different set of considerations for every artist.”
Premier Steven Miles has said he doubts the private sector could build the Northshore precinct without taxpayer support.
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