Brisbane 2032: Miles rejects review recommendations to opt for QSAC revamp as main Games stadium

Steven Miles will snub the findings of a $450,000 taxpayer-funded review to spend billions upgrading the dilapidated Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre for the 2032 Games.

• Quirk review: Every single finding

Steven Miles will spend billions of dollars upgrading the dilapidated Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre despite an independent review emphatically declaring it a waste of money.

The Premier said cabinet had endorsed spending $1.6bn to upgrade QSAC at Nathan, defying a $450,000 taxpayer-funded review he asked former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk to lead.

Mr Quirk’s review indicated it would provide no “significant legacy benefit” to the region and should not be used for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Instead, Mr Miles pledged to bulldoze ahead to spend billions of dollars to upgrade the grandstands and facilities for athletics at QSAC and use the spare $1bn to upgrade Suncorp Stadium and the Gabba.

The details of what upgrades both stadiums would receive is not yet known.

It is the second time Mr Miles has ignored independent advice about how to progress planning for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

The premier – fresh from a brutal by-election bruising in Ipswich West – was on Monday grilled about why he ignored Mr Quirk’s recommendation to build a new $3.4bn stadium at Victoria Park and instead deliver QSAC upgrades.

“I thought it was a plan where we can have more certainty about its costs, where we can utilise our existing facilities and where we don’t displace any sports from the government,” he said.

“Queenslanders are struggling with housing and other costs.

“I cannot justify to them spending $3.4bn on a new stadium.

“I had heard from Queenslanders that $2.7bn at the Gabba was too much so I know that for Queenslanders $3.4bn at Victoria Park will be too much – so I’m ruling that out.”

Mr Quirk’s review clearly warned upgrading QSAC “does not represent value for money” and said it should not be used as a venue in the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It’s understood Mr Quirk’s recommendation for a new 55,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park surprised the government, but the idea was almost immediately dismissed.

Mr Quirk on Monday doubled down on the opportunity for Brisbane to develop a world-class stadium at Victoria Park and said splashing cash on QSAC would be a waste of money.

QEII Stadium at Nathan has the government’s backing.

“As far as the QSAC site is concerned, again, we just don’t see, after spending around $1.5bn, any significant legacy benefit to the people of Queensland,” he said.

“There is great opportunity for additional events with a higher level of stadium which has got great facilities, top level facilities for people that would go there and enjoy it.”

Mr Miles also revealed the state government had already started looking for alternatives before Mr Quirk’s $450,000 review had been completed.

“We’ve been working on this plan in recent weeks,” he said.

“I asked when it was clear the direction the panel was taking it, I indicated to our public servants that we needed another option.

“We were aware that panel would consider those two options and I asked for more detail to be done on option two, because I knew that it was going to be very, very hard to accept a brand new $3.4bn stadium without any of that planning work effectively starting from scratch.”

A concept for a stadium at the review-recommended Victoria Park. Pictured: ARCHIPELAGO

High-performance athletes training at QSAC for future summer and winter Olympics and championships will be displaced due to the upgrade, but Mr Miles said that would be considered.

“Will have to determine how long the upgrade will take and then look at the options for them for that period,” he said.

“It’s possible that the staging of the warm up track and the athletics track can still allow for it to be used throughout but we need to do that work.”

It is the second time Mr Miles has ignored independent advice about how to progress planning for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

In November he spruiked advice which labelled a demolition and rebuild of the Gabba as “best value for money”, only to soften his position after becoming Premier exactly three weeks later.

Newly re-elected Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he would meed with Mr Miles about the plan and the government’s proposed Independent Delivery Authority for Olympics infrastructure.

The state government has endorsed Mr Quirk’s proposal to relocate Brisbane Arena north of its planned site over the Roma Street railway station, which would have likely cost $4bn.

Federal Greens MP for Brisbane, Stephen Bates, welcomed the premier scrapping the Victoria Park stadium proposal but still held concerns about the effect the arena would have on the council’s compost facilities.

“It’s disappointing that building Brisbane Arena is going to come at the expense of Roma Street Parklands and Brisbane City Council’s composting and recycling facility,” he said.

“Upgrading our existing sports facilities and delivering more community venues delivers the best value for money and the best Olympics legacy for Queensland.”

ASM Global Asia Pacific executive chairman Harvey Lister welcomed Mr Quirk’s recommendation to proceed with the Brisbane Arena.

“The alternate location to the northern precinct of Roma Street Parklands was a very workable solution, given concerns about construction timelines and costs for building on the over-rail site,” he said.