Arena Olympic guarantee as new federal funding deal reached

A privately funded Brisbane arena should be under construction by the end of next year, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said on Thursday as he and federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced a new funding agreement for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Crisafulli government removed the planned Brisbane Arena at Roma Street from its Brisbane 2032 delivery plan, instead opening up the former Go Print site at Woolloongabba – adjacent to the new Cross River Rail station – to private investment to construct a 17,000-seat arena there.

Earlier this week, Treasurer David Janetzki announced a new Treasury Transaction Team to seek private capital for projects, such as the arena, and Bleijie said on Thursday he could guarantee the venue would be ready to play a role in Brisbane 2032.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King exchanging letters of intent in Brisbane on Thursday. Credit: Cameron Atfield

“We will go to procurement on the Brisbane arena by the end of this year, so I would suspect in the next couple of months, my Department of Infrastructure and Planning will actually formally get procurement to build the arena,” he told a Queensland Media Club lunch at South Brisbane.

“Next year we’ll be planning, and I suspect you’ll start seeing it being built from end of next year and into 2027.”

The new intergovernmental Olympic funding agreement would see $1.2 billion in federal funding, which had originally been allocated the Brisbane Arena, to be redirected to the new stadium in Victoria Park.

There has been no change to the previously agreed $7.1 billion funding envelope, with the rest of the federal government’s $3.44 billion contribution to fund 17 new and upgraded venues – including the new National Aquatic Centre – on a 50/50 basis with the state.

The abandoned plan for the Brisbane Arena at Roma Street.Credit: GIICA RTI

Four of those venues – the Logan and Moreton Bay indoor sports centres, the Sunshine Coast outdoor stadium and Barlow Park in Cairns – went out to procurement at 1pm Thursday.

“What today’s deal means is certainty for games infrastructure going forward,” Bleijie said.

“It means certainly for our infrastructure delivery program, for industry, for host communities and for workers, that full funding has been secured.”

But King said the Commonwealth contribution was not without strings attached.

“We are, of course, not just giving Queensland a blank cheque, which I know the deputy premier would like me to do,” she said.

“For Brisbane 2032, this will mean robust project validation before we commit to final funding.

“We’re doing our due diligence to ensure projects can be delivered on time, on budget, and that they do represent good financial taxpayers.”

King said the funding for the Victoria Park stadium was contingent on a new precinct plan having a focus on green space access, a transport connectivity plan and consultation with stakeholders, including impacted communities and First Nations groups.

The Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority had started investigative work at Victoria Park, including geotechnical studies, borehole drilling and soil sampling, to determine the exact site of the stadium.

Bleijie said media reports in News Corp, based on a leaked Queensland Rail document, that the final site of the stadium had been decided were not quite on the mark.

“Despite some wonderful pictures I’ve seen in the media today, no location has been chosen for the site of Victoria Park stadium,” he said. “GIICA will have to do that job.”

A new train station was possible, Bleijie said, but no decision had been made. It may be needed – sources have told this masthead the recently upgraded Exhibition Station may not be available for Games use, due to the proximity of the planned athletes’ village at the RNA Showgrounds.

In a moment of brevity, Bleijie – a staunch monarchist – was asked whether the new stadium would be named after a member of the royal family.

“Don’t you dare!” King said, as Bleijie prepared to answer the question.

“It could be King Stadium, in honour of either Charles or Catherine,” he said, prompting laughter.

Turning a little more serious, Bleijie said the government had not turned its mind to that yet.

“Let’s get shovels on the ground, let’s start building it, and then we’ll work out the name of it,” he said.

In April, this masthead revealed GIICA had submitted the name “Brisbane Stadium” – along with “Gabba Arena” – for trademark protection with IP Australia.

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