Annastacia Palaszczuk threatens to move Brisbane’s AFL, cricket teams to Gold Coast during Gabba rebuild

The Queensland Premier says she wants to ‘extend the hand of friendship’ but is playing hardball with the codes amid an Olympics funding stoush.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at Queensland Pathways State College for a funding announcement. Coorparoo Monday 4th December 2023 Picture David Clark

Annastacia Palaszczuk has threatened to move Brisbane’s premiere AFL and cricket fixtures to the Gold Coast for at least four years if the two codes refuse to shoulder some of the cost of building a temporary stadium during the Gabba rebuild.

A funding stoush has erupted between Brisbane’s Liberal Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and the Labor state government over a proposed new 20,000-seat stadium to host the Brisbane Lions and Brisbane Heat from December 2025, when the Gabba is demolished and rebuilt for the Olympic Games.

Sport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe announced on Friday that the state would pay only $46m of the $137m RNA upgrade, relying on the Brisbane City Council, the RNA, and the sporting teams to fund the rest.

Mr Schrinner, , who supported the RNA option in July, has blasted the state’s “ham-­fisted and foolish attempt to extort Brisbane ratepayers for tens of millions of dollars”, and the major bodies for the AFL and cricket are preparing to reject the proposal if they are required to stump up cash.

On Monday, the Queensland Premier said if a funding agreement could not be reached, both teams would be moved to the 40,000-seat Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast.

“The state government has worked out our share and now we need to see what the other parties can put in,” she said.

“There’s other options for the AFL and cricket - it is quite easy, we can pick the whole lot up and go down to Carrara.

“But the AFL and the cricket don’t want to do that. So we’re trying to work out a compromise for them.”

The $2.7bn Gabba rebuild, which has already blown out from its original $1bn price tag, does not include the $46m the state will pay to rehouse the Lions and Heat nor the more than $100m it will spend to relocate the heritage-listed East Brisbane State School to make room for the stadium redevelopment.

Mr Schrinner on Sunday yanked support for the Gabba rebuild saying there “must be better options”.

“I’ve been listening to the people of Brisbane,” he said.

“They are saying we need to do something other than the state government’s plan on the Gabba needs to be rethought.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she was disappointed her government’s relationship with city hall had broken down and she would “extend the hand of friendship” to Mr Schrinner.

“Well look, these things happen,” she said.

“There’s council elections coming up and the people will say things and do things that they perceive to be in their best interest coming up to an election.

“I will extend the hand of friendship there and say I’m more than happy to sit down and speak.”

Costs of redeveloping the Gabba, along with the $2.5bn Brisbane Arena which is to be built over the city’s busty Roma Street train station, is expected to become a major issue ahead of state and council elections next year.

The Weekend Australian revealed on Saturday that the Queensland government was already exploring alternative sites for the Brisbane Arena, amid mounting concern that it can be built for the estimated $2.5bn.

Liberal National Party Leader David Crisafulli has refused to say whether he would progress plans on the Gabba rebuild, until there is an independent agency set up to manage the multibillion-dollar infrastructure program for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

“Our position is exactly the same as it has been for two years and that is that project is yet to get our support,” he said.

“Because there has been no business case revealed and there has been no establishment of an independent infrastructure delivery authority.”