State gives new Redland council power to decide fate of $100m whitewater venue
The fate of a $100 million Olympic venue could be up to a local council headed by a new mayor who says she’s concerned it could be a whack for ratepayers.
Redlands Coast
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The fate of a $100 million Olympic whitewater venue will be decided by a new bayside mayor who is unlikely to hold a majority support in her new council.
Redland City Council mayor elect Jos Mitchell promised voters before Saturday’s poll that she would review plans for the venue and has publicly stated she opposes the proposed facility.
Ms Mitchell, who will officially take the reins of the city in April, was speaking after state Cabinet officially endorsed the Birkdale whitewater venue, following a 78-page Sports Venue Review.
It was one of 27 venues out of 30 to get the green light from the state government on Monday.
Cabinet documents recommended the Birkdale stadium and whitewater venue proceed “subject to the continued support from Redland City Council”.
The approval followed a review, conducted by former Brisbane City Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, after a Senate inquiry in September.
The review and the cabinet decision overruled a Senate recommendation in September to investigate using an already built Olympic whitewater venue at Penrith in Sydney.
The review ruled out Penrith due to “less conducive” weather conditions with “marginally colder minimum temperatures and slightly higher wind speeds” for international competition in Sydney in July and August.
“Due to these conditions, in previous years the venue has been closed between June and
September,” the report said.
To ditch the current Birkdale Olympic venue proposal, Ms Mitchell will have to get the support of the majority of her new council.
But with preliminary polling results in, it was unlikely she would hold a council majority after four of her team of six failed to get enough votes to be elected.
A day after being unofficially elected, Ms Mitchell said before making detailed comment, she needed a complete briefing from council bureaucrats on contracts, costs, and expenditure to date.
“The previous council majority signed us up to a project that, on all available evidence, will cost ratepayers more money,” she said.
“I am very disappointed to hear the review summary and I am waiting to see the full report.
“If elected, I will be committed to ensuring our ratepayers aren’t financially burdened,” the mayor-elect said on Monday.
Previous mayor Karen Williams fully supported building the whitewater Olympic venue on Redland council land on Old Cleveland Rd at Birkdale.
The Williams council also gave its chief executive the power to sign contracts for the project despite not having a final “costings validation” report from the state government.
Capalaba state MP Don Brown was the first to call for a state government review of the Birkdale Olympic venue, when he put his request to the-then premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in May last year.
“I am glad that the Premier Steven Miles has listened to my feedback and has given a voice to the new council and mayor to decide on the future of the site,” Mr Brown said.
“I am disappointed with the outcome of the independent review and the recommendation that Penrith is being ruled out.
“It is important for me, the state government, and the new mayor to meet.
“But it is up to the council and we should respect the mandate that Jos Mitchell has just achieved.”
Paddle Queensland executive officer Scott Sharples welcomed the state government move to keep the Olympic venue in southeast Queensland by ruling out the use of a facility in Penrith.
“I am relieved that the Australian Olympic team will be together in 2032 in Queensland and not split up verses being sent to Sydney away from the Games hub,” he said.
“We never saw Penrith as a viable option and we are pleased that the powers that be at the state level have seen the importance of having the water facility in southeast Queensland.
“The training centre at the site will also help ensure Queensland rescue services have the latest training facilities and Queensland has the best people on the ground in the event of a natural disaster.”
Meanwhile, Senator Penny Allman-Payne, who was on the senate panel that recommended investigating Penrith, said the Quirk Sport Venue Review’s conclusions about the Birkdale whitewater centre contradicted the evidence heard last year.
“The inquiry heard that there was insufficient justification for a costly new whitewater centre considering the existence of a newly upgraded facility in Penrith, and there is little in this new report to challenge that,” Ms Allman-Payne said.
“Even the International Olympic Committee’s own technical report said the Brisbane Olympic Committee should consider using the legacy facilities in New South Wales.
“We share community concerns about the impact this development will have on critical koala habitat and the wildlife corridor, and we support calls for the project to be referred to the Commonwealth for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.”
Redland Community Alliance for Responsible Planning president Lavinia Wood, who addressed last year’s Senate inquiry into Olympic venues, said she was “stunned and incredulous” that the Penrith venue was no longer an option.
“The Olympic Venue Review Panel’s recommendation to proceed and build a new $100 million whitewater stadium in Birkdale, flies in the face of IOC heavyweight John Coates’ own appeal to stop building Olympic white elephants,” Ms Wood said.
“The people of the Redland clearly don’t want it, and never have.
“If Premier Miles must have all venues in Queensland, then his government should build the whitewater stadium adjacent to the Olympic flat water course on the Wyaralong Dam and run it at the state’s cost.
“At Wyaralong, there is a natural slope and a plentiful freshwater supply, plus all the cost-saving benefits of co-locating two Olympic venues.”
Redland council-elect July Talty, who has supported the venue, was contacted for comment.
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