Brisbane Olympics 2032: why Queensland ditched the $2.7bn plan to rebuild the Gabba

Premier Steven Miles on Monday axed the controversial $2.7bn rebuild of the Gabba stadium. What are the new plans for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games?

Queensland have ditched plans to rebuild its iconic Gabba ahead of the Olympics.

The purported $1 billion saved from scrapping a new stadium as Brisbane’s showcase 2032 Olympic Games venue will be used to spruce up the ageing Gabba and “modernise” Suncorp Stadium.

Queensland’s home of rugby league is the biggest winner out of the state government’s scrapping of its infrastructure plans for the Olympics, with Suncorp to get roughly a $500m upgrade.

Premier Steven Miles on Monday axed the controversial $2.7bn rebuild of the Gabba stadium, three years after it was first proposed by former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk without a detailed business case.

As the marquee venue, the Gabba was to host the athletics and opening and closing ceremonies of the 2032 Games, with a seperate federally funded inner-city auditorium to hold swimming events in a drop-in pool.

Instead, Mr Miles has moved the centrepiece athletics event to the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games, even though it was not on a train line and might seat only 40,000 people.

Suncorp Stadium, home to the Broncos, will host the opening and closing ceremonies and swimming will still go ahead at the proposed Brisbane Arena auditorium, but location has been moved to the top corner of Roma Street Parklands.

An independent review, led by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk which handed findings to government on Friday, recommended a new $3.4bn oval stadium be constructed at Victoria Park, on the northern fringe of the CBD, as the main Olympic stadium with the Gabba demolished and replaced by housing.

Mr Miles rejected Mr Quirk’s independent advice and decided on cheaper option of upgrading existing stadiums.

What happens to the Gabba?

The Gabba - home to cricket and AFL - will not be demolished or rebuilt, but will get a small upgrade.

Both sporting codes had been lobbying for the stadium to be upgraded for several years and had backed the state government’s plans for its revamp.

While Mr Quirk’s review recommended the Gabba be knocked down with land repurposed, Mr Miles has instead decided to spend more than $500m to upgrade the stadium.

AFL and Cricket Australia will not be displaced during the refurbishment.

“I don’t see a scenario where a future government demolishes the Gabba,” Mr Miles said on Monday.

Mr Quirk’s review found the Gabba was in poor condition due to its age - initially built in 1895 - and was not up to standards, with its “end of life” just six years away.

“The Gabba stadium is in poor condition, is operationally inefficient, inaccessible and offers very poor amenities for athletes and staff,” the review read.

“The Gabba will reach the end of its life by 2030.

“Now, even if you keep it going beyond that date with some upgrades, at some stage, the Gabba is going to need to be replaced and it is never going to be a tier-one stadium because of the limitation of space,” Mr Quirk said.

The Gabba was last rebuilt in 1995 after a review found it was in “poor condition” and nearing the end of its design life.

In 2020, $35m was invested to refurbish the stadium’s media and corporate facilities, as well as entrances and spectator amenities.

Suncorp Stadium will host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics.

What is Suncorp Stadium (Lang Park) getting?

Suncorp Stadium, rebuilt in 2003 at a cost of $280m, will score an upgrade to “modernise” the venue.

There is little detail on what the revamp will look like but is expected to make a minor increase to its 52,000-seat capacity by replacing its video screens.

It would also have to involve construction of “staging areas” nearby for athletes for the opening and closing ceremonies.

Plan to centre the Games around Suncorp was initiated by Olympic guru John Coates earlier this year and has been backed by rugby league bosses.

It is the most utilised venue in Queensland, as the home of Brisbane Broncos and Redcliffe Dolphins NRL teams, Brisbane Roar A-League team and hosts State of Origin and international sport and music events.

Why was the original Brisbane Olympic stadium plan scrapped?

A blowout in the cost of a ­complete rebuild of the Gabba – from $1bn originally flagged by Ms Palaszczuk to $2.7bn and now the $3bn cited by Mr Quirk – had made the project a political liability in a state election year for the Miles government.

Public support also took a nosedive, in which a taxpayer-funded poll in ­November found support for the Brisbane Olympics had plunged to its lowest levels, with only 38 per cent of voters agreeing the Games were a good idea for the city.

On Monday, Mr Miles said he could not justify a $3.4bn Brisbane Olympic stadium to be built in Victoria Park amid a cost of living crisis, and when he saw the direction Mr Quirk was heading, he advised his public servants another option was needed.

“I thought it was a plan where we can have more certainty about its costs, where we can utilise our existing facilities and where we don’t displace any sports from the government,” he said.

“Queenslanders are struggling with housing and other costs.

“I had heard from Queenslanders that $2.7bn at the Gabba was too much so I know that for Queenslanders $3.4bn at Victoria Park will be too much – so I’m ruling that out.”

Brisbane's Commonwealth Games 30 Sept 1982 - mascot Matilda the kangaroo glides around the track - opening ceremony - sport qld QEII stadium crowds stands

Where will athletics be held?

The Queensland government will spend $1.6bn to upgrade the dilapidated Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (also known as QEII stadium) to host the athletics.

The centre is located at Nathan, deep in Brisbane’s southern suburbs, and is not on a train line.

Mr Quirk’s report found the cost of upgrading QSAC would benefit existing users but had no broad community legacy and “did not represent value for money”.

“Given the lack of direct public transport, access to QSAC ­Stadium during the Games could only be facilitated by bus shuttles. In order to ensure a secure level of access for the Games it would be necessary to construct ­permanent bus hubs capable of handling more than 380 bus trips for each ticketed session with ­capacity to site up to 150 buses at each,” his report read.

“Delivering the track and field events with a capacity of 40,000 spectators would be by far the ­lowest capacity for any Games held in recent history and would potentially leave little opportunity for the general public to attend major finals.”

Idea to upgrade QSAC was proposed by Mr Coates, who vice-president of the International Olympic Committee.

Where will the swimming be held?

The state government endorsed Mr Quirk’s recommendation to relocate Brisbane Arena, which was earmarked for the swimming competition.

Originally planned to be located over the Roma Street railway station, the 17,000-seat arena would have likely cost the government $4bn.

The hall is set to be moved from the proposed site in the CBD to further north in a nearby park, saving up to $1.5bn in construction costs.