Grace Grace makes extraordinary admission over QSAC’s mass transport funding for Olympics

Grace Grace has made an extraordinary admission over transport funding to the proposed QSAC site sparking calls from Adrian Schrinner for the Brisbane Metro to be extended in a $500m investment.

State Development Minister Grace Grace has admitted the government has not yet factored in the cost of mass public transport upgrades to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in its budget.

Ms Grace said the amount set aside was something the state government has to consider following its proposal to build a $1.6bn, 40-000-seat stadium at the Nathan QSAC site.

“It’s like the transport networks on the Sunshine Coast, it’s like the various transport networks that we are looking at and we’ll work through all of those issues... but the legacy there will be once it’s done, it’s there and it will be used,” Ms Grace said.

“At this stage, we haven’t funded it, but of course, public transport is something we need to fund in line with budgets, and we will certainly be looking at that going forward.”

Grace Grace said the budget for transport networks to the proposed Nathan site was something to consider. Picture: John Gass

Ms Grace made the comments on air in an interview with ABC Mornings host Steve Austin on Wednesday.

Mr Austin was earlier interviewing Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and asked if council’s Brisbane Metro could be extended to QSAC.

“I’ve interviewed Grace Grace today … and she’s told me that the state government has not budgeted any money for the public transport problems for the QSAC facilities,” he said.

“The state government doesn’t have a figure, would you be asked or would you be prepared to extend your Brisbane Metro project out to QSAC?”

Mr Schrinner said if the state government was to stick by the Nathan facility, transport options would need to be provided.

“It’s concerning though that there’s no budgeted cost for that transport option,” Mr Schrinner said.

“You can’t have a major Olympic venue with no transport, obviously, that’s a common sense thing.”

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner says the mass transport options to Nathan are “notoriously bad”. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Schrinner expressed his concerns over the lack of transport infrastructure funding associated with the QSAC proposal, saying the government would need to invest at least $400-500 million on expanding the Brisbane metro to get patrons to and from the stadium.

“We’ve just heard this morning that the government hasn’t put any funding aside to provide transport options for QSAC and it is my initial estimate that there would need to be four to $500 million put on the table just to accommodate the transport options in and out of QSAC,” he said

“That’s based on an assessment of what would be required to build a major metro station near QSAC and to extend the bus complex recommendations in the stadium.

“There are no transport improvements that are required for Victoria Park. This is a ready made solution with ready made transport and over to my left as well as an exhibition train station that’s being upgraded as part of Cross River Rail.”