Brisbane Lord Mayor backs in Gabba transformation for 2032 Games

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has backed a redeveloped Gabba to be the main stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Games. HEAR THE PODCAST

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has backed a redeveloped Gabba to be the main stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, saying the inner-city location was unbeatable.

Speaking on The Courier-Mail and Nova’s Toward the Games podcast, Mr Schrinner said the Gabba was in need of a considerable upgrade regardless, and it lacked significantly compared to other sites around the country.

Screen grabs from a digital depiction of how the Gabba will be transformed for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

“You can’t beat that location when it comes to accessibility,” he said.

“There will be fantastic public transport, great walking and cycling access, it’s close to the centre of the CBD, you’ll be able to walk across the new Kangaroo Point Bridge and be into the city straight away.”

Mr Schrinner’s comments echo those of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk earlier this month when she was forced to defend the proposal following speculation the cornerstone of the city’s bid may be changed due to potential cost blowouts.

While the redevelopment was originally given an approximate price tag of $1bn, there was a growing opinion the overall cost could skyrocket closer to $2.5bn.

Screen grabs from a digital depiction of how the Gabba will be transformed for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

“The department of infrastructure is doing some costings on what the Gabba will look like,” the Premier said, adding she was “100 per cent committed to the Gabba”.

Mr Schrinner said the Gabba’s inner-city location, while key to its success, would also pose significant challenges for either a full knock down and rebuild, or a redevelopment.

Screen grabs from a digital depiction of how the Gabba will be transformed for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.

“It’s a really constrained space there. Major roads on all four corners, a school, a community around it that’s busy, so how do you do this, the logistics of doing it are going to be challenging,” he said.

“Then you’ve also got cost pressures on virtually every project at the moment … cost of materials going through the roof and inflation.”

Bringing together all levels of government to finalise the proposal would be crucial, Mr Schrinner said, adding the business case was still in the works.