No time to waste after Gabba lost cause for the Olympics

The planned $2.9bn rebuild of the Gabba stadium for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics is “dead, buried and cremated”.

Brisbane Olympics organising boss Andrew Liveris has slammed the “loss of time and distraction” caused by a row over the $2.7bn rebuild of the Gabba stadium, calling for Games infrastructure planning to be accelerated.

Backing the surprise move by Olympics powerbroker John Coates to come out against the pricey redevelopment, Mr Liveris said preparation for the Games had to proceed “post haste” when a review of key 2032 venues was completed.

Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner on Thursday declared the Gabba plan “dead, buried and cremated” even though his predecessor, Graham Quirk, is still to report to Premier Steven Miles on whether the stadium should be upgraded to hold Olympic track and field competitions as well as opening and closing ceremonies.

Mr Liveris, who had joined Mr Coates on Tuesday in making submissions to Mr Quirk’s review panel, said too much time had been squandered. “I lament the loss of time, and the distraction that has taken away a little from the amazing accomplishment of winning these Games,” the former Dow Chemical CEO said.

“We need to move forward post haste after this independent review is completed. We need to not re-litigate every decision on venues and infrastructure.

“We need to get the best outcomes for all stakeholders.”

Mr Coates said the Gabba rebuild had lost public support and “just does not stack up” after the cost blew out from $1bn to $2.7bn under former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and community protesters gained traction with a campaign against closure of a local school enveloped by the rebuild.

In an interview with The Courier-Mail, the International Olympic Committee vice-president agreed the project was “almost certainly dead”. The athletics should instead go to the ageing QEII stadium deep in Brisbane’s southern suburbs and with limited public transport access, Mr Coates said, while the opening and closing ceremonies could be held at the rectangular Suncorp stadium.

Mr Miles has distanced himself from the Gabba rebuild, even though he was adamant at the time he took over from Ms Palas­zczuk last December that it was still the best option for the Games.

A second showpiece Olympic venue, the proposed Brisbane Arena earmarked to host the swimming, is also under a cloud amid growing concern that it can’t be built for the $2.5bn committed by the federal government under the cost-sharing agreement with Queensland that covers the Gabba.

Former Queensland premier and 2018 Commonwealth Games chair Peter Beattie told The Australian that Mr Coates was “spot on” and the Gabba rebuild would be a costly mistake.

“I applaud Steven Miles for having the guts to revisit the Gabba decision,” said Mr Beattie, who now sits on the commission overseeing the National Rugby League.

“As an NRL commissioner, I regularly see how well Suncorp is working. It is good for rugby league, rugby union, soccer, concerts and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

“Had the 2018 Commonwealth Games been won by Brisbane, the athletics would have been at QEII and the opening and closing ceremonies would have been at Suncorp.”

The Australian understands Mr Miles was not aware of Mr Coates’s move to go public with his opposition to the Gabba, effectively pre-empting the Quirk findings but his concession on Tuesday that the 25,000-seat Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast was a viable alternative to the Gabba, as Mr Coates was addressing the review panel by video link along with Mr Liveris, Australian Olympics Committee president Ian Chesterman and Paralympics Australia president Alison Creagh, demonstrated how he had cooled on the project.

Mr Quirk declined to comment when approached on Thursday.

Mr Chesterman said the IOC’s New Norm process governing Brisbane’s successful Games bid in 2021 was designed to make the event more affordable and prioritised the use of existing and temporary facilities.

“We believe there are other, more creative solutions than rebuilding the Gabba … which provide a legacy for our sports and even greater access for fans to an exceptional Olympic and Paralympic Games,” Mr Chesterman said.

Mr Liveris said Mr Coates’s public comments reflected the views put to the review panel and “should be listened to very carefully … It is the Queensland government’s role to deliver venue upgrades because investment decisions on infrastructure should be made with the needs of the growing local population in mind,” he said.

“That is the basis of the New Norm and Olympic Agenda 2020+5: the Games should fit the region, not the other way around.”

Additional reporting: Lydia Lynch