Brisbane Lord Mayor quits Olympic gig over Premier’s ‘ham-fisted’ stadium

Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says Adrian Schrinner’s shock decision to quit a key Olympic Games forum will make it harder to plan the Games, but said he’s come to “expect backflips from the Lord Mayor”.

• ‘Lost its way’: Schrinner’s full statement

Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says it’s “bewildering” Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner will walk away from a key Olympic Games forum and has again defended the government’s consultation with Brisbane City Council to upgrade the RNA Showgrounds.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner sensationally quit the Brisbane 2032 Games delivery forum and withdrew support for the $2.7bn Gabba rebuild, declaring the Palaszczuk government has “completely lost its way” on the road to the Olympics.

The Sunday Mail revealed Mr Schrinner had resigned from the Olympic and Paralympic Games Intergovernmental Leaders Forum, declaring the state government’s “ham-fisted and foolish attempt to extort Brisbane ratepayers” to build a new $137m boutique stadium at RNA was the final straw for the extraordinary schism.

He said the Games had become “more about overpriced stadiums rather than the promise of vital transport solutions”.

Mr Schrinner’s resignation from the 2032 delivery forum will make it “more difficult” to plan the Games, Mr Hinchliffe also acknowledged.

“It’s a bit bewildering but I’m starting to expect backflips from the Lord Mayor,” Mr Hinchliffe said on Sunday.

“While the city is contributing $0 to delivering the Games it seems that it is important that we do engage the city in solving the problems that they can be part of solving.

“It’s a real shame that he might step away from that leadership role.

“I look forward to seeing what he thinks is the benefit... It’s really hard to tell what he’s thinking.”

Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe on Sunday. Picture: Richard Walker

Mr Hinchliffe on Sunday defended the consultation offered to stakeholders, noting previous conversations had been leaked.

“We’ve known through this process that there’s been a lot of things that have gone into the media pretty quickly when there’s ever been conversations held,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“We thought it was appropriate to share with everyone at the same time and then make things available to the community to share those options.”

Mr Hinchliffe then denied the government did not trust stakeholders to keep conversations confidential.

“I’m highlighting how important it is we are to have been open and accountable through this process and that’s what we sought to do and we’re happy to do,” he said.

In 2022 Mr Hinchliffe flagged an upgraded RNA would cost a “ballpark” $80m and said the cost of relocating the Brisbane Lions and Queensland Cricket would be contained in the $1bn Gabba redevelopment.

The Lord Mayor, right, has resigned, saying the Premier’s government has “lost its way”.

Mr Hinchliffe on Sunday did not respond directly to those earlier comments, but said relocating the codes was “outside of the requirements that are required for the delivery of the Gabba”.

The bipartisan bid from the LNP Lord Mayor and Labor Premier has been the cornerstone for the pitch to host the global event, but Mr Schrinner declared the government had “completely lost its way on the road to the Games”.

Mr Schrinner’s salvo comes after the government also spooked cricket and AFL stakeholders by demanding they chip in for the new RNA stadium.

He said the bungling had “put the promised legacy for our city, our region and our state in serious jeopardy”.

“Ever since the Premier and I travelled to Tokyo together to secure the 2032 Games, I have been a committed team player, despite numerous setbacks and political differences. I have done this because I strongly believed that only by working together can we stage the best-ever Games.”

The state government’s Labor counterparts in Brisbane City Council stopped short of committing the requested money for the RNA Showgrounds renovations.

Labor Lord Mayoral candidate Tracey Price (centre), with Council Opposition Leader Cr Jared Cassidy and Labor Councillor for Morningside Ward Cr Lucy Collier.

Ahead of the March 2024 local government elections, Labor’s Lord Mayoral candidate Tracey Price firmly batted the ball back into the state’s court on Sunday.

Ms Price said she was “shocked” by Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner’s withdrawal of support for the Gabba rebuild and funding for the RNA Showgrounds makeover.

She was asked several times whether she would commit the funding requested by the state government, if she were to take the top job next year.

“The Olympic Stadium is a state government initiative,” Ms Price said.

“Adrian Schrinner months ago was celebrating his announcement about his investment into the RNA, he has now shut down on that and is no longer engaging in any conversation.

“We are having discussions around that at the moment with the Minister (Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe) and stakeholders.”

Council Opposition Leader Jared Cassidy described the Lord Mayor’s U-turn as “spitting the dummy” and “chucking a tantrum”.

“Tracey and I have spoken to the Minister, but we have made clear to the people of Brisbane and the state government that our focus is on the suburbs of Brisbane,” Cr Cassidy said.

“The state government has announced the Gabba rebuild - they’re funding it, they’re managing it, this is their project - and they need to get it right.”

Artist impression of what the RNA Main Arena might look like during the Gabba redevelopment.

Mr Schrinner’s bombshell resignation will send shockwaves through the government already grappling with wilting support.

Critical support from regional voters has also been jeopardised in recent months amid fury at the government’s costly commitments to host the Games in the South East, and Mr Schrinner abandoning the forum will land another blow to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ahead of the election in October next year.

“Hosting the Games is a privilege,” his resignation says.

“But this sad episode is just the latest example of the state’s determination to use the event as their own personal political plaything.

“First was the state’s last-minute decision, without consultation, to redevelop the Gabba for supposedly $1bn and then every decision that has happened with the Gabba since. Then came the state’s decision to junk the promised independent co-ordination authority that was supposed to oversee Games infrastructure planning and delivery.

“Friday’s farcical demands over the RNA stadium aptly demonstrated that the state is not interested in teamwork and that the Gabba rebuild should be independently re-evaluated.”

The shock announcement comes as The Sunday Mail can reveal the extent of the furious response to the government’s demands for AFL and cricket to contribute to the $137m RNA stadium, with a senior source close to the negotiations saying the proposal will “send Queensland Cricket broke”.

“Queensland Cricket does not have the borrowing capacity to make a financial contribution to a temporary home at RNA for cricket which would normally be played at the Gabba,” the source said.

“Why would Queensland Cricket, even if it could, borrow money to invest in a venue that it doesn’t own or lease, or will not use beyond a displacement period?”

Read the Lord Mayor’s statement in full here.