The 2032 Games venues review is over, now we must get on with it

The increasingly farcical and fractious debate about the 2032 Games stadium risks damaging the event and our international reputation, writes Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner .

The Brisbane 2032 Games is, yet again, at a crossroads. The increasingly farcical and fractious debate about where the main stadium should be built risks damaging not just the event itself but our international reputation.

Since I stepped down from the State Government’s Games forum last year, my view on this has been very clear: We live in the fastest-growing region in Australia. So, we should first be pursuing transport solutions, not over-priced stadiums, as themain legacy of the Games.

This whole situation could have been avoided had the State Government done what it promised to begin with and hand the Games over to a proper independent authority to manage. But there is no point lamenting past mistakes. We need to get the Games back on track.

If there’s one take-out from Graham Quirk’s Sport Venue Review it’s this: there’s no perfect solution when it comes to whereto build the main stadium. Quirk’s proposal for a new stadium at Victoria Park has certainly divided opinions.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says he would have personally backed building a brand-new stadium at the council-owned Victoria Park, but only if it could have been built for less than $3.4bn.

A 55,000-seat stadium is not part of my plan to transform Victoria Park into an iconic parkland for generations to come.

But I understand why Quirk chose this location given the park will soon be easily accessible thanks to Brisbane Metro and Cross River Rail.

With Victoria Park’s inner-city location, there’s also obvious comparisons to Melbourne and Olympic Park, Australia’s premier sports venue precinct.

As The Courier-Mail’s editorial rightly observed yesterday, Melbourne Park was also the subject of a political bunfight back in the 1980s. But everyone agrees now it was visionary.

Personally, I would have been prepared to accept Victoria Park as the stadium’s location if it met three key conditions.

Firstly, the stadium footprint must be kept to a minimum. Secondly, there must be no net loss of parkland for Brisbane residents. Thirdly, the stadium must be delivered cheaper than the knockdown and rebuild of the Gabba.

On Monday, Graham Quirk told me that the stadium was estimated to take up little more than 10 per cent of the massive 64-hectarepark, so the first two conditions were certainly achievable. However, at $3.4 billion, unfortunately, meeting the third condition was unlikely.

With Queenslanders very concerned about costs, I understand why Premier Steven Miles has opted instead to upgrade the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre at Nathan.

At $1.6 billion to upgrade the old stands, plus the other $1 billion needed to keep the Gabba going beyond 2032, the QSAC option isn’t exactly cheap.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. (Image/Josh Woning)

But the critical thing now is to work together, get on with it and get the transport right.

The existing QSAC stadium has notoriously bad access to mass transit. When big bands like Guns N Roses are forced to play at QSAC, the streets are packed with people for hours afterwards. If the State is going to invest in QSAC, it must invest in getting people home.

The best option will be an extension of the busway and a dedicated Brisbane Metro station, much like what was proposed at the Gabba. Connecting QSAC to mass transit will help ensure the investment leaves a legacy.

I welcome the Premier’s decision to accept Quirk’s recommendation to put Brisbane Arena on a site adjoining Roma Street Parklands.

To attract more world-class events that generate an economic dividend, Brisbane desperately needs to replace the old Boondall Entertainment Centre with a modern, inner-city venue.

The same goes for Quirk’s recommendations about expanding the Sleeman Sports Complex (Chandler), although this does also raise questions about transport.

Like QSAC, the Sleeman Sports Complex was built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games and has no current mass transit option.

Our council is already working with the Miles Government on a study into a Brisbane Metro eastern line that could deliver turn-up-and-go services out to Capalaba.

If it could be built by 2032, a Brisbane Metro eastern line would be a great asset during the Games given the number of events at the Sleeman Complex, the aquatic centre, the Anna Meares Velodrome and Belmont Rifle Range.

Sure, the stadium issue could have been handled better to begin with, but what’s next? Yet another review?

We must now move past that and work together to deliver not just a great Games but a lasting transport legacy that benefits Queenslanders for generations to come. Let’s get on with it.

Adrian Schrinner is the

Lord Mayor of Brisbane