Federal government kept in the dark over Paralympic venue for 2032

The Commonwealth has been kept in the dark over the size of a proposed Paralympic training centre for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics, which Annastacia Palaszczuk says is dependent on federal funding.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: David Clark

The Commonwealth has been kept in the dark over the size of a proposed Paralympic training centre for Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics, which Annastacia Palaszczuk says is dependent on federal funding.

The centre, at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus, will train para-athletes in the lead-up to the 2032 Games and include international standard venues, a wheelchair and prosthetics workshop and testing facilities.

Announcing the Centre of Excellence on Wednesday, the Queensland Premier said work could start on the project without commonwealth funding but its size was dependent “on whether or not we get that federal contribution”.

“We put our $44m on the table, UQ has put their matching contribution and now that is a matter for the federal government,” she said.

“A legacy is delivered by all levels of government and I just believe this is something we had to go ahead with now, it is absolutely critical.” Ms Palaszczuk said she believed UQ had “reached out” to the federal government for matching support.

But an Albanese government spokesman said they had “not received any formal proposal” from the state government nor UQ.

“We will consider any proposals from the Queensland Government through the usual processes,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk’s comments exposed a growing rift between Queensland’s state Labor government and the Commonwealth over the multi-billion dollar infrastructure spend for the Games.

As the Australian reported earlier this month, ­Anthony Albanese walked away from the $2.7bn rebuild of Brisbane’s Gabba stadium after being ­spooked by a 170 per cent blowout in the project’s preliminary costings.

Under the original agreement struck with former prime minister Scott Morrison in the lead-up to the International Olympic Committee vote on the hosting rights, funding was to be split 50-50 between the two governments.

“We weren’t going to be an ATM for the Olympics,” Mr Morrison told The Australian earlier this month. “We were going to be a partner. We wanted to be 50-50 not just in funding, but in sharing the job and making those decisions”. Under a revised cost-sharing agreement unveiled by Mr Albanese and Ms Palaszczuk on February 17, funding is still split almost equally, but the state assumed sole responsibility for the Gabba rebuild while the federal government took charge of the technically challenging $2.5bn Brisbane Arena.

Paralympics Australia president Jock O‘Callaghan said the proposed development would improve the lives of Australians living with a disability.

“I congratulate and thank the Palaszczuk government for today’s announcement and I now look forward to progressing this world-leading plan with the federal government,” he said.

Construction on the centre is expected to begin within three years and be complete by 2027/28.