Greens MP, students, residents protest redevelopment of Gabba
A Greens MP has dubbed a revamped Brisbane Cricket Ground ‘Labor’s electoral graveyard’ during a rally on Saturday morning after the state government announced.
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A Greens MP has dubbed a revamped Brisbane Cricket Ground as “Labor’s electoral graveyard” during a rally on Saturday morning after the state government announced demolition of Gabba for a $2.7 billion redevelopment.
Students from East Brisbane State School and their parents, Greens politicians and locals were among the dozens of people who attended.
South Brisbane MP Amy McMahon said the project should be scrapped.
“$2.7 billion on a single stadium in the middle of a housing crisis, an ambulance ramping crisis is an absurd waste of money,” the Greens politician said.
“The community has made their opposition to this project crystal clear.
“Today we’ll be rallying to tell the Labor government to scrap this project, protect our school, protect our park and save millions of public money,” she said.
Local resident Jerry said the whole project was “done in secret”.
“I feel totally and utterly cheated, they are not acting for the people. It is going to cause havoc for our streets,” she said.
“We live about four blocks down so we are going to be affected every day.
“Our kids went to the school that is going to be demolished so I feel for people who have got young children around here and there’s a lot of young people.
“There are much better alternatives. Annastacia what the hell are you doing.
“We are now the lowest city in Australia, thank you to Brisbane City Council and the Queensland politicians because they have made us very, very annoyed”.
Her husband Steve branded the redevelopment “disgusting.”
“It’s a colossal waste of money,” he said.
“Money that could be spent on better education, roads, housing and hospitals.”
Meanwhile, Greens Councilor for The Gabba Trina Massey said the neighbourhood needed the infrastructure, schools, parks and public transport.
“We are hearing from people not just in this electorate but across Brisbane and across Queensland,” she said.
“I have spoken to schools not just in my ward, people not just in my ward who have said this is one of the number one topics they are concerned about remembering we are in a cost of living crisis and we are in a housing crisis,” she said.
“A complete waste of money when there are other options, other options that are viable,” she said.
Mother from East Brisbane State School Juliet Jemesem said she was at the protest because she was angry.
“That’s our kid’s backyard,” she said.
“They’ve totally disregarded the need for these suburbs to have a school that is accessible.”
Mother Katie Johnston said “it was more than a park and a school.”
“We’ve built a community,” she said.
“It is actually intrinsic to our lifestyles.”
Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne said people in regional Queensland were outraged at the waste of money in knocking down the stadium and a school when they needed better funded public services.
“This is effectively a wealth transfer from the regions to the south east corner and people in regional Queensland are outraged,” she said.
Griffith MP Max Chandler-Mather said they had spent a year fighting the federal Labor government to allocate a few extra billion dollars to public and affordable housing.
“But behind us here we have a Labor government that’s going to send $2.7bn at least demolishing a school and a park,” he said.
“If they end up losing the next state election this is going to be one of the symbols of their neglect, disconnect and elitism they take.”
Greens South Brisbane MP Amy McMahon said the Gabba should be renamed “labours electorate graveyard.”
“Two point seven billion dollars on a single stadium in the middle of a housing crisis, an ambulance ramping crisis is an absurd waste of money.”
“The community has made their opposition to this project crystal clear,” she said.
“Today well be rallying to tell the labour government to scrap this project, protect our school, protect our park and save millions of public money,” she said.
Ms McMahon said there were many other sites that could be used to host the athletics for the 2032 Olympic Games.
“This neighbourhood is growing very quickly,”
“We won’t have a school, we won’t have a local park, we won’t have any of the public infrastructure needed to deal with that kind of population,” she said.
But Education Minister Grace Grace said the Gabba redevelopment was more than just a stadium.
“It means more social affordable housing, better transport and the legacy for our city for generations to come.
“This will transform our city for the better,’ she said.
Ms Grace said the government was on calls to have the new Brisbane East State School opened for 2026.
“As the Deputy Premier said yesterday, we probably would need another school and this will give us the room to build upon that and increase the numbers of the East Brisbane state school.
“When it comes to us securing this site for the future of Queensland, we have decided that this is the best way forward, it will give us a stadium that will be the envy of the world. Our games will be the envy of the world,” she said.
Ms Grace said the redevelopment would be a legacy for the AFL and cricket moving forward.
“I think we have found the best solution that will meet that school community’s needs well into the future,” she said.
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