‘It’s crazy’: Talk of slashing Gabba capacity in $1bn spend

The Gabba farce has taken yet another turn with a key minister intervening to downplay speculation that there are plans to reduce the stadium’s capacity by 4000 seats.

• Fast track: Venue tenders out

State Development Minister Grace Grace has intervened to halt speculation that upgrades to the Gabba would reduce capacity.

It comes after The Courier-Mail revealed that the state government’s alternative plan for the Gabba could cost $1.1bn and cut its capacity by 4000 seats.

Early discussions among stakeholders indicated the “crazy” expenditure was necessary to reach code compliance and prevent the cracked and rusty stadium from further deteriorating.

It’s prompted Ms Grace to intervene and rule out any reduction.

“The Miles Government will never reduce seats at the Gabba. It’s not an outcome fans will accept, and not one that I will,” she said.

“The Premier has been very clear that any upgrade must fit within the allocated budget.

“He has ruled out considering any further Games spending so that all available funds can be used for cost of living relief for Queenslanders.”

The future of the Gabba remains a point of contention.

Deputy Premier Cameron Dick also reassured Queenslanders that the upgrade will not include a reduction of seats.

“I can assure you there will not be one reduction of seats at the Gabba as part of this process,” Mr Dick said.

“I’m sure there’s a way to engineer that renovation of the Gabba in a way that manages those outcomes.

“It’s not unprecedented for stadiums to be renovated over time, it happens around the country.”

For the same $1bn price tag former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in 2021 said the Gabba could be demolished and rebuilt, 4000 seats could instead be removed as part of a billion-dollar plan to upgrade it and Suncorp Stadium.

The state government said no decision had been made and consultation about the scope and nature of the Gabba upgrades were ongoing.

Plans to turn the Gabba into a world-class stadium in time for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games were axed in March by Premier Steven Miles, who instead favoured spending $1.6bn for a temporary venue at Nathan’s QSAC.

Early work by the state to upgrade the Gabba indicates its capacity would dwindle from the current 36,000 seats to just 32,000.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he was gobsmacked after hearing of the plans. Picture: Liam Kidston

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said on Thursday he was gobsmacked after hearing about the plan to slash the size of the stadium while Brisbane’s population exploded.

“They’ll have to remove 4000 seats from the existing capacity,” he said.

“So we’re spending $1bn on the Gabba to get 4000 fewer seats.

“It’s crazy.

“There needs to be a better option than that.”

Speaking on Friday, Mr Schrinner said he “held out hope” that there would be other options for the city’s main Olympic Games stadium.

“I know both the government and Opposition have made their position really clear going forward,” Mr Schrinner said.

“I obviously held out hope and held out hope that there will be another venue looked at to get the best possible outcome but they have both made it clear that won’t be the case.

“And so what I’ve also made clear is that if it’s going to be QSAC we will make the best of it.”

Several industry sources with knowledge of the project said the seats would need to be removed from the decades-old stadium if it was to meet building and disability code compliance.

The proposal raises concerns Brisbane will be left with a small, second-rate main stadium for another generation – despite the world’s biggest sporting event arriving in 2032.

Mr Schrinner noted: “We can have a low cost Olympics, but what’s the legacy out of that?” 

“If we don’t have a new stadium what happens to the Gabba … we’ll keep it alive until the Olympics but what happens after that?”

Previous upgrades to the Gabba, including a new scoreboard, has eroded its capacity from 42,000 to 36,000.

Premier Steven Miles in Bundaberg this week. Picture: Paul Beutel

Brisbane Lions has hosted four sellout matches this season and its membership base is tipped to reach 60,000 by the end of the year.

Premier Steven Miles in March rejected an independent review by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk that recommended the Gabba be demolished and a new $3.4bn stadium be built at Victoria Park to house the Lions.

Mr Miles instead trumpeted using a temporary 40,000-seat grandstand at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre for the Olympic Games’ athletics and then upgrading the Gabba and Suncorp Stadium for a combined $1.1bn.

A final cost has not been determined, but the government in March indicated the Gabba would receive at least $500m.

The premier on Thursday said the government was continuing to analyse major Olympic Games infrastructure, but declined to say whether QSAC was the final option.

“We’re now working through the details of how to deliver that, exactly what it will be and then what upgrades we can do at the Gabba and at Suncorp Stadium,” he said.

“I indicated that that process would take some time.

“We’ll go through the same project validation process as we have for other venues.”

The Gabba would remain among the smallest home grounds for an AFL team – just slightly larger than the Gold Coast Suns’ 27,500-seat Carrara Stadium and below Geelong’s recently upgraded 40,000 seat GMHBA Stadium.

A 2018 Stadium Taskforce Report found The Gabba was a tired venue that would come to the end of its useful life by 2030.

An internal government probe into the condition of the stadium found it had an ageing roof, cracking in concrete, corrosion and rust on beams and structural steel and poor-quality airconditioning, lights and lifts.

The analysis, seen by The Courier-Mail, also slammed the stadium’s limited emergency vehicle access to the main field, a lack of Wi-Fi and an insufficient space for holding and security areas.

This litany of issues, the analysis noted, meant the Gabba was unable to regularly host concerts, exhibitions and other special events.

A lack of sufficient female or gender-neutral facilities for professional athletes also prevents the ability to schedule a women’s game immediately after a men’s game on an event day.

Mr Quirk, in his infrastructure review, slammed the quality of the Gabba and noted children with a disability were unable to join abled-bodied people on the field for a kick after the match.