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Gabba revamp details sought ahead of federal funding decision
By Matt Dennien
A top-level authority similar to the body that drove preparations for the successful Sydney Olympics is likely to oversee major projects, including the $1 billion Gabba stadium redevelopment, for any 2032 Brisbane Games.
But the Morrison government wants more details before it will agree to cover half the cost of plans – released by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday – to raise the stadium height and capacity limit.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says an overhauled Gabba will be the centrepiece of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid.
The 126-year-old site would essentially be demolished and rebuilt under the proposal for it to host the opening and closing ceremonies should the International Olympic Committee decide in the Sunshine State’s favour in coming months.
The proposal comes after earlier ideas to build a new stadium north of the CBD or upgrade another on the Gold Coast were dismissed for being too disconnected from public transport.
A Gabba revamp would link it to the neighbouring Cross River Rail station by a pedestrian plaza, providing easy access to the dozens of events already held there each year.
Ms Palaszczuk said completion of the major rail project, expected in 2024, would lead into what could be four years of work on the stadium at a cost of about $1 billion, boosting its capacity from 42,000 to 50,000.
“The Gabba would continue to be the workhorse that it always has been,” she said. “So, we are now in the process of discussions with the federal government about the funding envelopes that we need for the venues and the transport.”
Ms Palaszczuk said funding arrangements for venues used in the 2018 Commonwealth Games comprised a 50 per cent share for each level of government, but she added that most of the venues for a 2032 Olympics were already in place.
Federal Sport Minister Richard Colbeck insisted that his own government was working closely with the state to meet guarantees sought by the IOC to secure the Games, but was seeking more detail after the change of stadium plans.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with the Queensland government and seeing any detail of this redevelopment proposal following Monday’s decision,” Mr Colbeck said.
Having the main Olympics stadium 2 kilometres from the CBD and linked to a major public transport hub will give Queensland an advantage over other potential Games hosts, Ms Palaszczuk says.
In the years leading up to the 2000 Sydney Games, an Olympic Co-ordination Authority was tasked with delivering sporting facilities and venues alongside the broader work of the organising committee.
On Tuesday, Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner said a similar high-level body was needed to oversee planning and urban development ahead of 2032 to ensure both the state and council had a seat at the table.
“I expect that based on the Sydney Olympic experience, there will be some form of special authority that will be running the upgrade of these venues and the way that this rolls out,” Cr Schrinner said.
“Having a joint authority between council and state, I think, is the right way to go.”
A state government spokesperson said such an expectation was a “reasonable one” but would not be looked at further until after a decision was made by the IOC.
The announcement on Tuesday also raised the eyebrows of parents of the East Brisbane State School, which appeared to be swallowed up in some artist impressions by stadium designing firm Populous.
While the Gabba’s two biggest tenants – Cricket Australia and the Brisbane Lions – were supportive of the plans, Katter’s Australian Party MPs on the crossbench of State Parliament said the Games would entrench the neglect of regional areas amid rising debt levels.
South Brisbane Greens MP Amy MacMahon said she was concerned about the impact the stadium plans would have on an “already squeezed” neighbourhood.