‘More than just a stadium’: Senior Qld official defends Gabba rebuild

The department head delivering Queensland’s Olympic venues has defended the $2.7 billion Gabba spend, saying it will be “more than just a stadium”, with shops, homes and community spaces such as galleries and museums to be included in the 24/7 precinct.

State Development director-general Mike Kaiser also rejected claims on Tuesday that the East Brisbane State School could have survived in its current location had the government chosen to renovate sections of the Gabba instead of building a brand-new replacement.

A concept image of the Gabba as the main venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.Credit: Queensland government

Under strong questioning from Coalition and Greens senators on the first day of a federal inquiry into Australia’s preparedness to host Commonwealth and Olympic games, Kaiser said the rundown Gabba was due to come to the end of its life in 2030.

“And, without a doubt, the value-for-money outcome is a teardown and rebuild,” he said.

“The cheapest of the other options was still $2.2 billion, and it would have been a refurbishment that would have denied us the opportunities to integrate it into the surrounding community and create those legacy benefits.

“And a refurbishment, as opposed to a rebuild, also comes with considerable risk.”

The Gabba, Brisbane’s home of cricket and AFL, will be the main venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It will also host the opening and closing ceremonies.

The inquiry heard again that an upgrade was necessary regardless of the Games.

But Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne put it to Kaiser that the historic primary school would not have to close if the government chose another venue for athletics, such as the Gold Coast’s Carrara Stadium or Brisbane’s Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (formerly QEII).

“If you were rebuilding [the Gabba] for AFL and cricket as the legacy and you didn’t have to fit in an athletics track, it would seem to me that you would be able to do that within its existing footprint,” she said.

Kaiser responded that each of the options, “whether it was refurbishment or rebuilding, required East Brisbane State School to close”.

The department boss repeatedly drew the senators back to his central point that the new Gabba had the broader aim of urban renewal, while linking it via new footbridges to Brisbane Arena, South Bank and the CBD.

As for the stadium, he said it would have more seats, better disability access, female change rooms, more roof coverage, reliable digital connectivity, and new transport links.

“And, really importantly, [we have] the opportunity to make it ... a genuine community asset that’s enlivened,” he said.

“I was with the deputy premier in Los Angeles recently, for example, where we toured the SoFi Stadium ... which contains within it an African American museum and art gallery, which has become a real community asset.

“That’s our aspiration for the Gabba.”

Earlier, Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate told the inquiry that using the existing athletics and swimming facilities in his jurisdiction would have been better value than the $2.7 billion Gabba precinct and the Commonwealth-funded $2.5 billion Brisbane Arena.

The inquiry now heads to Melbourne, where the questioning will likely centre on Victoria’s dumping of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.