Olympic venues blowout by $181m before a builder is chosen

The new LNP government has fired a shot at the former Labor government after revelations its Olympic venues had blown out by $181m before a builder has been selected to start construction.

The new LNP government has fired a shot at the former Labor government after revelations its Olympic venues had blown out by $181m.

• Booby traps warning to LNP ministers

Queensland’s Olympic and Paralympic Games venues are almost $200m over budget before a builder has been selected to start construction.

The cost of three minor venues – Chandler Indoor Sport Centre, Sunshine Coast Indoor Sport Centre and Sunshine Coast Stadium have blown out by $181m in less than one year.

Building the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sport Centre will cost at least $214m, a 50 per cent increase on the $142m budgeted.

The cost for Chandler has risen $61m to $275m while the stadium has jumped $48m to $196m.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie. Picture: Richard Walker

Sunshine Coast Stadium and, separately, Indoor Sports Centre were delayed before the state election because the cost of building the projects has already exceeded the budgeted cost.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles on Friday however, claimed that the $181m worth of Olympic project cost blowouts became known during government caretaker mode, following the end of the tender process.

“That’s something we created after significant calls for us to have that the nature of having a more independent delivery authority is that they run these processes and then come back to government with the outcome of those processes,” Mr Miles said.

“And as I understand it, those tender processes are closed during caretaker mode and they wouldn’t have been able to release them.

“Obviously, they didn’t have to come back to government for any additional funding (prior to the election).”

Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie on Thursday said: “We are going to be transparent and open with Queenslanders and we’re going to keep releasing these updated figures so Queenslanders can know what they would have got if the Labor Party was re-elected.

“They should have been released before the election, but Steven Miles and Cameron Dick took a lie upon a lie and refused to release these details to Queenslanders.

“I asked one question to my department, what was the figures, and then a second question how much are they now?

“I was able to get it within 24 hours.”

Yesterday, Opposition Leader Steven Miles did not comment directly on the cost increase, but said Mr Crisafulli promised Queenslanders the cost of projects would never increase and would be delivered in full.

Sunshine Coast Stadium which will undergo an expansion leading up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games Brisbane 2032.

The federal government will provide a “capped contribution” of some $3.5bn for the Games, including $2.5bn to build Brisbane Arena and $935m for minor venues.

The funding agreement was struck in February 2023 between Anthony Albanese and Annastacia Palaszczuk.

However, the cost blowout in the minor venues program – and expected increase in the cost of Brisbane Arena – has prompted Mr Bleijie to ask the Commonwealth to review the near-two-year-old funding agreement.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has refused to provide a cent more than $3.5bn, leaving Queensland taxpayers on the hook to pick up the tab.

The deputy premier this week warned the Commonwealth its funding agreement would form part of its 100-day infrastructure review.

It prompted Ms King to issue a letter to Mr Bleijie, seen by The Courier-Mail, to warn against it.

“It is the Commonwealth’s expectation that this agreement continues,” she wrote.

Deputy Leader of the Opposition Cameron Dick and Leader of the Opposition Steven Miles. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Premier David Crisafulli on Wednesday did not detail the anticipated terms of reference for the review, but again promised Queenslanders would no longer suffer “embarrassment” at the Games.

“We’ve got time to do this properly and we’ve got time to get the show back on the road,” he said.

“Within 100 days you’re going to see a plan for generational infrastructure.”

Upon becoming Premier, Mr Crisafulli had warned incoming LNP ministers to go over department briefs with a fine-tooth comb, amid concerns over hidden project blowouts and “wasteful” programs.