Qld police to spend up to $240m on new station lease deal
Steven Miles has urged Queensland Police to be “as transparent as possible” over an alleged $240m deal to secure a Stones Corner building for 15 years.
QLD News
Don't miss out on the headlines from QLD News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Premier Steven Miles has urged Queensland Police to be “as transparent as possible” amid a lack of answers over an alleged $240m deal to secure a Stones Corner building for 15 years.
It comes after news the Queensland Police Service has signed the deal for the commercial building that will be used to house a new inner-city station at a cost up to five times what the developer paid three years ago.
The multi-year lease has been signed for the building on Logan Rd at Stones Corner, with multiple sources telling The Courier-Mail the deal and cost of the fit-out could add up to $240m.
Both the QPS and Police Minister Mark Ryan refused to answer multiple questions about the extraordinary deal, including if the minister knew about the spending and how it would be paid for.
“These are operational matters and decisions for the Queensland Police Service,” Mr Ryan said on the same day he helped turn the first sod for the new Ripley Police Station.
Police familiar with the Stones Corner lease said it was the “worst deal” they had ever seen and were concerned the QPS would have to sell assets or blow out their budget to be able to cough up the money.
The lease was a 15-year agreement with an option for an eight-year extension, according to sources who know about the contract.
Property records show the 7192sq m building was bought by developers for $45m in 2021.
The QPS has refused to comment in detail about the lease, nor the decision to sign it, other than saying it was commercial-in-confidence.
Premier Steven Miles on Thursday morning urged Queensland Police to be “as transparent as possible” amid the lack of answers.
But he also said the QPS had “significant discretion” over its budget.
“Well, I’d encourage police to be as transparent as they can be, but for a long time, and for very good reasons, operational decisions for police rest with them, and so you’d need to ask them those questions,” Mr Miles said.
Mr Miles said he did not know the price tag of the 15 year lease beyond what had been reported by the Courier-Mail.
He said police didn’t need cabinet approval because “the Queensland Police Service has very significant discretion over its own operational decisions”.
It is understood officers had involvement in finding the site and organising the lease.
The building is set to become a mega police station hub for multiple southern Brisbane stations which will soon close down and be consolidated into the commercial space.
The Courier-Mail revealed last year that the service was planning to gradually close facilities including Coorparoo, Annerley and Dutton Park stations and the vulnerable persons unit housed by the Camp Hill station.
The Stones Corner building is owned by Aequitas Group, which has Brisbane investors Geoffrey McIntyre and Norman Fox listed as the company directors and owners through holding companies.
In comparison, the state government is building a massive state-of-the-art new police station and police training academy in Townsville for less than $150m.
It’s understood the cost of the Stones Corner fit-out and lease deal includes annual maintenance work, however none of the costs are included in budget papers.
The QPS was asked to confirm details of the cost of the lease and what approvals were sought from the government before signing a contract.
The Courier-Mail specifically asked whether cabinet approval had been required for the lease.
The QPS was also asked what level of due diligence was completed on the deal, what works were required for police to move in and whether the service would need to sell assets to pay for the contract.
A spokeswoman confirmed a 15-year lease on the building but did not answer any questions other than saying the mega station would “enhance services to the local community in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics and beyond”.
“No further comment will be made at this time due to commercial-in-confidence considerations,” the spokeswoman said.
It is unclear when the lease was signed, however senior police and government executives had a meeting in April.
Opposition police spokesman Dan Purdie said the government needed to be transparent about the deal.
“Police Minister Mark Ryan needs to explain his involvement in this matter,” he said.
“He must come clean on what he knew and when he knew it.
“We need to support our frontline police and ensure that taxpayer’s money is spent with respect and the community gets the protection it deserves.”
Originally published as Qld police to spend up to $240m on new station lease deal
15 ways to dodge questions about Brisbane Olympics stadium
The Gabba is firming as the LNP’s stadium of choice for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, but Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has continued to withhold his Olympic plans from Queenslanders.
‘How will we pay for it?’ $240m question as top cop orders audit
Queensland’s top cop says he ordered an audit into a controversial lease that could cost up to $240m to understand how the deal was reached.