Editor’s view: Brisbane’s Olympic legacy about more than sport

When talking about our Olympic and Paralympic legacy, there is another consideration the new Premier needs to take into account: Brisbane’s inability to attract big-name international acts to its venues, writes the editor.

Taylor Swift snubbed Brisbane while in Australia on her Eras Tour.

Premier David Crisafulli said he knocked back the previous government’s plan for an Olympic stadium at QSAC because Queenslanders had told him they didn’t want to be embarrassed.

He said that as he travelled around the state Queenslanders had been worried about how we were going to look on the world stage hosting the world’s greatest sporting event in a second-rate venue in the middle of nowhere.

The 40,000-seat temporary QSAC stadium at Nathan would have been the smallest main Olympic stadium since the 1928 Amsterdam games.

Mr Crisafulli has also said he will get our Olympic and Paralympic Games planning back on track, starting with his 100-day review, due in March.

His said his focus is on the Games’ legacy, and building generational infrastructure.

The trouble is that during the election campaign he also promised no new stadiums.

Rebuilding or renovating the Gabba would appear the only option that matches his criteria.

But when talking about legacy, perhaps there is another consideration the new premier needs to take into account.

That is, our inability to attract big-name international acts to Brisbane.

The list of superstars who have bypassed Queensland is long, headlined by the most popular singer on the planet, Taylor Swift.

Thousands of Queenslanders were forced to travel to the southern states, spending a small fortune to get there, to see the Eras tour.

Olivia Rodrigo, Coldplay and Dua Lipa followed suit, only performing shows in Sydney and Melbourne.

Olivia Rodrigo during her world tour GUTS concert at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Picture: Jonathan Ng

And more recently, ’90s Britpop rockers Oasis gave Brisbane the proverbial finger like only the brash Gallagher brothers can.

It never used to be this way.

Part of the problem, it must be acknowledged, is the cost of lugging extravagant sets around a country as vast as Australia.

Performing in just a couple of cities transfers those travel costs to concertgoers, therefore putting more money in the pockets of the artist.

But that is not the only reason Queensland is being bypassed.

A new stadium would be a huge coup in levelling the playing field, according to some of the biggest names in the business.

In today’s Sunday Mail, new Night-Life Commissioner John Collins, of Powderfinger fame, says “a new stadium is key”.

“Brisbane deserves one, it really does – anything that gives us the opportunity to have Oasis playing at one of our stadiums, I’m up for it. I think that’s probably where the secret sauce is,’’ he said.

“It’s got to be central, linked to all the precincts and part of the city.”

He joins the bosses of Queensland cricket and Brisbane Lions, who say that building the Olympic stadium at Victoria Park – their preferred option over their current home at the Gabba – would help to attract international acts.

In August, Frontier Touring boss Dion Brant said a new stadium would provide an Olympic legacy and attract more big-name acts.

Tony Cochrane. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Without a new stadium, Queensland is behind the eight-ball.

But a stadium is not the only thing we can do.

Gold Coast events supremo Tony Cochrane, who has promoted or produced tours for artists including The Rolling Stones, says other cities are offering concert promoters incentives to lure major acts and if Brisbane did not join in, “welcome to last place”.

Western Australia and South Australia have realised the economic boost big concerts bring, with both investing in attracting international acts.

The WA government spent $8m to bring Coldplay to Perth and it paid off with an economic windfall for the state of $43m.

The Crisafulli government needs to get serious about investing in attracting major events – specifically big-name acts – back to this state.

We’ll have to wait 100 days to see what Mr Crisafulli will do about the Olympic stadium.

But in the meantime we need to invest in putting Queensland back on the radar of international superstars.