Worth the wait: Games chief says venues plan is ‘best in class’

After almost four years of indecision, politicking, captain’s calls and confusion, the Brisbane 2032 Olympics finally has a road map – and the man charged with delivering the Games says it was worth the wait.

Premier David Crisafulli announced a new $3.79 billion 63,000-seat stadium and separate aquatic centre at Victoria Park, officially breaking an election commitment there would be no new stadiums under an LNP government.

Crisafulli said the time had run out to rebuild the Gabba, as former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had planned, so it came down to a choice between Victoria Park, in Brisbane’s inner-north, and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre at Nathan, in the city’s south.

Brisbane 2032 president Andrew Liveris said it was a relief for organisers to have a concrete plan, after numerous false starts.

And Liveris, who had previously been glowing about Palaszczuk’s Gabba proposal, told this masthead the new Games delivery plan was worth the wait.

“The deliverables and the win is enormous,” he said.

“We have a main stadium for athletics. We have an opening and closing ceremony location. We have, now, a newly agreed-upon aquatic centre with more seats, and we have a precinct where the aquatic centre, the athletics stadium and the village is all in the same place.

“That, frankly, mimics pretty much the best-in-class delivery of the big sports.”

Acknowledging his broken promise, Crisafulli said it came down to a choice between spending billions on temporary facilities at QSAC or “securing the future of AFL and cricket” at Victoria Park.

“It became a choice between delivering a Games with an eye to the future or rewinding the clock for decades.

“In the end, the choice was clear – the Games must be held at a new stadium at Victoria Park. Any other choice would have meant placing the government’s political interests ahead of the interests of Queenslanders.”

Crisafulli said it became clear through the Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority’s report into Olympic venues that the government had run out of options.

“What the report shows is that the Gabba redevelopment can’t be done within the time period that we have left,” he said.

“Rather than point to the fact that [it would have been] great to get cracking a few years ago, I just point to the fact that we are here now and we’ve got a plan.”

The new stadium will become the new home for AFL and cricket, and the city’s largest concert venue, while the Gabba will eventually be redeveloped for housing after the Games.

An artist’s impression of the main stadium for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be built at Victoria Park in Brisbane’s inner-north.Credit: Queensland government

The government will proceed with a 25,000-seat National Aquatic Centre at Victoria Park, despite GIICA’s recommendation swimming be held at a new Brisbane Arena at Woolloongabba.

“The centre will see a number of Olympic and Paralympic sports move their headquarters up to Brisbane, permanently, a real world-class legacy which will serve these sports for decades to come,” Crisafulli said.

“It will be constructed at Centenary Pool, and that has the backing of diving, artistic swimming, water polo and Swimming Australia.”

The planned Brisbane Arena was not included in the funding package, but Crisafulli said it was not off the table – the government would instead work with the private sector to deliver a venue on the old GoPrint site between the Gabba stadium and the new Cross River Rail station.

The main pool would hold 19,000 in Games mode.Credit: Archipelago

The review recommended the $2.56 billion arena be delivered by government, but Crisafulli said it could be built outside the Olympic funding envelope.

“I can reveal today, the state government has seen offers from the private sector to build a Brisbane arena for the fraction of costs for taxpayers,” he said.

“To my mind, this development is a game changer and proof there would be no value to Australian and Queensland taxpayers to spend $2.5 billion on a Brisbane Live arena when the private sector is willing to engage with us to deliver one, to show how serious we are about progressing plans with the private sector.”

Ballymore has lost hockey, following intense lobbying from the sport’s governing bodies for the Olympic tournament to be held at the Gold Coast.

A new show court arena will be built at the Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson, seeing off threats the Olympic tournament could be played in Melbourne.

The controversial Redlands whitewater centre would also go ahead, Crisafulli said, but rowing events would be relocated to Rockhampton.

Amid calls for a secondary rectangular stadium for Brisbane, Perry Park missed out, while a 20,000-seat boutique oval stadium got the nod for the RNA Showgrounds.

That development would be the centrepiece of the new athletes’ village, which would be relocated from its planned site at Hamilton.

“Importantly, it gives a new life to the Ekka, one of the most important, important cornerstones, where the country meets the city,” Crisafulli said.

The RNA had originally been slated to host equestrian events, but they would now be held at the new Toowoomba Equestrian Centre.

“What an exciting time it will be for Toowoomba to have Olympic medals awarded right here in our region,” Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald said.

“The eyes of the world will be on us as the best dressage, showjumping and eventing riders and their incredible horses compete for Olympic glory right here in Toowoomba.”

Before last year’s election, Crisafulli repeatedly said his LNP government would “leave [Olympic planning] to the experts”.

“This must be taken out of the hands of the politicians and put in the hands of people with expertise,” Crisafulli said a year ago, almost to the day.

But, in going ahead with the National Aquatic Centre and rowing on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, the decisions were ultimately in the hands of politicians.

Rowing Australia chief executive Sarah Cook told this masthead on Monday the governing body had serious concerns about hosting events on the Fitzroy River, as the stream could make fair competition impossible.

Liveris said the issues were not insurmountable.

“The technical specs have to be checked, including currents, flooding zones and flooding planes, the stretch of river that actually can be used as the track,” he said.

“The World Rowing Federation has to be happy with all those specs. That’s what we’ll do now for the next six months.

“...LA has basically shortened the track because of currents – it’s a 1500-metre, not a two-kilometre track. If the state insists that it happens there, fixes are available.”

Federal Greens MP Stephen Bates, whose Brisbane electorate contained Victoria Park, said the decision to bulldoze green space was also “monumentally stupid”.

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