Queensland (Australia) Premier-elect David Crisafulli has only just grabbed power in the Sunshine State (Queensland) but he looks set to quickly transform Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics legacy with a huge call on the proposed venues.
‘FOX SPORTS’ stated that speaking with newsmen on October 27th after a tight election victory over the Labor Premier Steven Miles, Crisafulli said he agreed with the former Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s call that hosting the Games’ marquee athletics events at the modest 48,500-capacity Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre in Nathan, Australia, would be “going backwards”.
Commented Crisafulli, “I might just allow the former Premier to be able to put her point of view across and I’ll put mine. And that is, within 100 days the Queenslanders will see a plan that they are proud of and in doing so we can restore faith in that process.”
The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, is an upcoming international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 23rd-August 8th, 2032 with Brisbane, Queensland, Australia as the main Host City.
‘FOX SPORTS’ further stated that the State Government has oscillated for years over whether to pursue a $2.7bn upgrade of Brisbane’s iconic 42,000-capacity the Gabba Stadium in inner-City Woolloongabba or build an entirely new stadium at the Victoria Park at an estimated cost of $3.4bn as part of the City’s Olympics infrastructure legacy.
In March this year, Miles rejected both options and instead opted to funnel $1.6bn to upgrade the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre to host 40,000 spectators and then hold the Opening and Closing ceremonies at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Milton.
The Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre’s current full capacity is 48,500 seats and the stadium is also located about 12 km from the Central Business District (CBD).
Crisafulli has repeatedly slammed the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre proposal which he has called a “thought bubble” and an “embarrassment”.
He said he had spoken with the Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese about the Olympics over the phone – “I spent a considerable amount of time talking to the Prime Minister about that and we intend to speak directly to the (Federal) Sports Minister (Anika Wells) who is a Queenslander and I reckon we can get a good outcome.”
Crisafulli has also previously said he would not commit to a new stadium which means the Gabba rebuild could be on the cards.
The Federal and Queensland Governments have agreed to a $7.1bn “funding envelope” for the Games.
The Federal Government will finance a new $2bn ‘Brisbane Arena’ at the Roma Street Station precinct which is expected to host the swimming events.
Earlier in the year, the former Brisbane Mayor Graham Quirk led a 60-pg review of Queensland’s infrastructure for the Games and ultimately recommended a new stadium at the Victoria Park to replace an “end of life” the Gabba.
The review stated, “Brisbane needs a world-class stadium and arena. A greenfield stadium at the Victoria Park with up to 55,000 capacity in legacy and 50,000 capacity during the Games would likely cost between $3bn and $3.4bn depending on scope options chosen, however, it provides an opportunity to deliver the best outcome and overcomes many of the shortcomings faced at the Gabba due to its space restrictions. The Gabba rebuild up to 55,000 capacity in legacy and 50,000 capacity during the Games costed on a comparable basis is likely to now cost around $3bn plus $185m to $360m in displacement costs for the Australian Football League (AFL) and cricket. A new stadium at the Victoria Park enables a smooth transition for cricket, the Australian Football League (AFL – the pre-eminent professional competition of Australian Rules football) and the other major events from the Gabba to the new stadium. The review has been advised that the minimum cost to keep the Gabba operational until 2032 is around $400m to $500m, the cost to extend the life of the Gabba beyond 2032 and upgrade the venue to modern code compliance is around $1bn.”
The review further stated, “Due to the cost of a new stadium the panel carefully considered an option to upgrade the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre to 40,000 seats for the Games with 14,000 seats in legacy mode at a cost of $1.6bn and keep the Gabba operational and compliant beyond 2032 at a cost of $1bn. The combined cost of upgrading the Queensland Sports and Athletics Centre plus keeping the Gabba operational and compliant beyond 2032 is comparable to building a new stadium. However, it delivers significantly less legacy and commercial benefit.”
The Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP) has secured majority Government in Queensland winning at least 47 seats in the October 26th election.
The Conservative party will now rule for a four-year term until 2028.
The Australian Rules football, also called Australian football or Aussie Rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground.
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