Crisafulli backflip on stadiums will put Olympics funding deal in doubt

A state-Commonwealth funding agreement for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics will have to be renegotiated if Premier David Crisafulli dumps a $2.5bn indoor arena and builds a 60,000-seat stadium.

Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander at Parliament House in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

A state-Commonwealth funding agreement for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics will have to be renegotiated on the eve of the looming federal election if David Crisafulli goes ahead with a proposal to dump a $2.5bn indoor arena project and build a 60,000-seat stadium.

The Queensland government on Tuesday will publicly detail its plans for the rollout of Olympics venues, with the widely speculated announcement of a new $3.4bn-plus stadium at Victoria Park, breaking a key promise of Mr Crisafulli’s election campaign last year.

Ahead of the October 31 election, Mr Crisafulli repeatedly assured voters his government would not build a new stadium despite condemning the Labor government’s plans to revive the ageing Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre as the main Olympic’s stadium.

Under the $7.1bn intergovernmental agreement, the state funds the Olympics stadium while the federal government covers the $1bn cost of a series of smaller venues and the 17,000-seat arena, which was to host the Olympic swimming with a drop-in pool, before becoming a permanent venue for concerts in the inner-city.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli. Picture: Steve Pohlner

A 100-day review of the Olympics venues, ordered by Mr Crisafulli after winning power, is understood to have recommended the new stadium at Victoria Park and retention of the arena, and move it from its proposed location in Roma Street to a site next to The Gabba, in Brisbane’s inner south.

But it’s understood that Mr Crisafulli and deputy premier and infrastructure minister Jarrod Bleijie will take a plan to cabinet on Monday to scrap the arena and, instead, build a $600m aquatic centre beside the proposed new stadium at Victoria Park to host the Olympics swimming events.

If endorsed by cabinet, the plan will invalidate the existing state-Commonwealth Olympics funding agreement.

The terms of that deal was struck in February, 2023, more than 18 months after the former Morrison federal government agreed to evenly split the cost of the Olympic venues.

It is understood that Mr Crisafulli hopes to use the savings from the dumping of the arena to cover the extra construction costs of the Victoria Park stadium.

The 2032 Olympic Park concept designs for Victoria Park. Picture: Archipelago Architects

Last year, federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King wrote to Mr Bleijie warning him against attempting to rewrite the funding agreement.

“It is the Commonwealth’s expectation that this agreement continues,” she said.

Last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly backed the benefits of the arena, saying the city would not be overlooked by global musical acts if it had an indoor venue close to its city centre.

A government insider said there were serious concerns about the aquatic centre and whether it could justify its price tag outside the week-long Olympic swimming events and its use as a training facility.

On Sunday, Mr Bleijie refused to specifically answer questions about the government’s plans and if it was going to dump the arena and build a new stadium.

Mr Bleijie did not directly respond to a question about whether the government was still committed to its election promise of not building a new stadium for the Olympics.

“What we’ve committed to is to be not embarrassed on the world stage, to provide generational transport and road and rail infrastructure, and a plan that Queenslanders can be proud of,’’ he said.

Mr Bleijie said he and Mr Crisafulli had had discussions with the federal government and other stakeholders in the past two weeks.

He said he intended to brief the newly-elected president of the International Olympic Committee Kirsty Coventry of the government’s plans on Sunday night.

Mr Bleijie also confirmed a report in The Weekend Australian that the government was looking at finding savings in the $3.5bn construction of the athletes’ villages.

It was revealed that consideration was being given to moving the main athletes’ village from a proposed riverside site to the RNA showgrounds, potentially savings billions of dollars.

“There might be opportunities with the private sector for athletes’ villages across the state.

“We’ve been, obviously having looking at the assessment of the three athletes’ villages.’’