Gabba’s Olympic Games rebuild a test for cricket

The federal government was blindsided by Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement the Gabba would be demolished and rebuilt for $1bn to be used as Brisbane’s main Olympics stadium

An artist’s impression of the proposed Gabba redevelopment as part of Brisbane’s Olympic Games bid.

The federal government was blindsided by Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement the Gabba would be demolished and rebuilt for $1bn to be used as Brisbane’s main Olympics stadium, likely leaving Queensland without Test cricket for half a decade.

The Queensland Premier made the announcement on Tuesday morning and immediately called for Scott Morrison to quickly match the state’s estimated $500m pledge.

“We cannot achieve this goal on our own,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We need the support of all levels of government, local, state and federal government all working together.”

The announcement came as a surprise to federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, who said he had not seen any details.

“At state cabinet on Monday, the Queensland government made a decision to go ahead with a major redevelopment of the Gabba for the Games rather than build a new stadium as it had previously planned,” Senator Colbeck said in a statement.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Queensland government and seeing any detail of this redevelopment proposal.”

Mr Morrison’s Olympics representative, Ted O’Brien, said the government was “firmly committed to supporting Queensland’s bid to host the 2032 Games” and working as a “united team” as the pitch to the International Olympic Committee reached a “critical stage”.

“The Queensland government’s idea of upgrading the Gabba is an interesting one and we look forward to assessing their business case once it’s completed,” he said. “If we’re fortunate enough to secure the rights to host the 2032 Games, there will be lots of big ideas coming forward.”

The stadium would be linked via a pedestrian plaza to a Cross River Rail station being built across the road. The Gabba rebuild was deemed a better option than building a new venue near Albion, north of the CBD, and using Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast.

Ms Palaszczuk said the Gabba – the Australian cricket team’s most successful home ground – would be demolished and rebuilt over an estimated four years, with another year to test the facility.

The Brisbane Lions would also lose their home ground.

AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan and Cricket Australia interim CEO Nick Hockley welcomed the move, but former Australian cricketer Craig McDermott said the lack of an alternate Test-quality venue in Brisbane meant Queensland would likely not host a Test for five years.