$6.4 million cost of Gabba rebuild proposal an example of confused Brisbane 2032 decision-making

March 23, 2024

Nigel Benton

The Queensland Government has confirmed it spent $6.4 million - largely spent on architects and consultant - on the now abandoned plans for the rebuilding of Brisbane’s Gabba for the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics.

However, the Queensland Government is insisting the rebuild work will not go to waste and will be used to inform enhancements of the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QCAS) in the Brisbane suburbs and Suncorp Stadium for the Games.

The $6.4 million costs were spent a project validation report that explored several Gabba redevelopment options, as well as the scope, costs and risks of the proposed project.

Under its initial plans, the Queensland Government had intended to knock down the Gabba and rebuild it as the main arena for the 2032 Games at a cost of $2.7 billion.

However, this week an independent review recommended dumping the Gabba rebuild in favour of building an all-new Olympic Stadium at Victoria Park.

However, Queensland Premier Steven Miles immediately rejected the recommendation in favour of using QCAS and Suncorp Stadium for the Games, with the Gabba to no longer be demolished and rebuilt. Instead, the historic venue undergo a more modest upgrade.

Explaining this to ABC Radio Brisbane, Premier Miles stated “the work already undertaken as part of planning for the Gabba will be used to inform future works on the Gabba.

"I just can't justify an expensive new stadium when Queenslanders' household expenses are so high."

The independent review of Games venues commissioned by the Queensland Government, and led by former Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, had suggested a new $3.4 billion stadium be built at Victoria Park.

The review described the Gabba as an "ageing asset" that required substantial upgrades, and warned a full rebuild would "not deliver to the full brief of an international standard stadium".

It also recommended that the QSAC not be used as a venue to host track and field events, and found an upgrade to the venue did not represent value for money.

Rising costs and legacy fears
A report in the Guardian Australia today advises that former Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told bureaucrats charged with planning for the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane that they would be run “the Queensland way”.

During this week, that way would appear to be frequent changes in proposals for the main 2032 venues and lack of consultation.

As a result, track athletics event will be held in the smallest venue since the Amsterdam Olympics in 1928 at a venue with little established public transport access.

However, the move is backed by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice President John Coates who has advocated that cities should not build massive new venue infrastructure to host the Games - and then promoted Brisbane as a safe pair of hands to run a Games at existing venues.

A few months after the Brisbane Olympics were announced, Coates told the National Press Club that the IOC had been impressed by the bipartisanship in the Queensland bid with its backing by local, state and federal governments.

Coates advised “my role has been to make sure we present a united front … and that’s what we’ll do for the next 11 years”.

In the three years since Brisbane was first identified as the preferred host for the 2032 Games its planning has faced falling public support and a series of political power struggles.

Guardian Australia referred to public servants working with knowledge of the C’s plans for infrastructure saying that work so far has been “half-baked and half-arsed”, with an advisor noting “the main venues have become mired in selfishness, chaos and mayhem.”

Sources refer to former Premier Palaszczuk’s decision to back track on a promise to establish an independent infrastructure authority and instead manage major projects inhouse.

In addition, the Brisbane City Council and The Brisbane city council and the state government established competing Olympics offices, resulting in as one insider advised “no one really seemed to know what either of them did”.

Last year, the Queensland Government launched a website, Q2032.com.au, promoting business opportunities for the Games and venue plans which have since been abandoned.

Yet Guardian Australia reports that the local organising committee had no idea this had gone live and wasn’t even consulted on it.

By the time Premier Palaszczuk retired last year, the working relationship with the Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, had broken down completely with Schrinner withdrawn his support for the Gabba rebuild and quitting a planning committee.

As reported by Guardian Australia, much of this week’s discussion has been about ‘legacy’ with suggestions that a redeveloped QSAC will deliver none.

Steve Wilson, a former Chairman of the South Bank Corporation, which manages Brisbane’s popular precinct, had been among those pushing for the Victoria Park stadium favoured by Quirk’s review.

Wilson advised “it’s illogical to appoint an independent, well-respected committee of three people … to do a full review, spend 60 days, a lot of money and effort, and instantaneously reject it.

“I do believe we’ve still got time. We can all look back and say that there’s a lot of time that has been wasted, but the good news is we’re now getting a serious public conversation.

“Closed doors decisions don’t work. Decisions made within hours of getting a review don’t work. We need to take a chill pill and, frankly, it would be better if decisions are made after the election”.

Urban planner Mark Limb, from the Queensland University of Technology, says the Olympics feels like a “huge wasted opportunity” to engage the community about plans and legacies.

He noted “all the key reasoning and decisions have been kept behind closed doors.

“There was a lot of real goodwill when the Olympics was first announced. The (Queensland) Government could have harnessed that if they’d had a great engagement policy. Every planning consultancy in the city would have wanted to have a crack at that.”

Image: The now abandoned concept for the Gabba's hosting of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics (top), Suncorp Stadium (middle) and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (below).

About the author

Nigel Benton

Co-founder/Publisher, Australasian Leisure Management

Born in the English county of Dorset, Nigel Benton is the co-founder and Publisher of Australasian Leisure Management, Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific’s only magazine for professionals in all areas of the leisure industry and the www.ausleisure.com.au website - the go to news resource for industry leaders and professionals.

With a long-term commitment to communicating all that is best about the leisure industry (aquatics, attractions, entertainment, events, fitness, parks, recreation, sport, tourism and venues) his career has been defined by an ability to develop and implement industry communications.

Starting his career working in heritage visitor attractions and then adventure travel in Africa and the Middle East, an interest in writing about his experiences led to his change of career into magazine journalism and publishing.

In addition to publishing, Nigel speaks on marketing communications at a range of industry events.

He was made a Life Member of the World Leisure and Recreation Association in 2006 and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (London).

In 2020, he launched the new Asian Leisure Business website.

As of October 2024, he was inducted into the Australian Fitness Awards Roll of Honour at the 2024 AUSactive National Awards.

Among a range of published works and features, his comments on a Blog (blogspot) from 2007 to 2011, when this website went live in its current form, may be interesting to reflect back on.

His philosophy on life is to be kind to all and to indulge those that you love.

His passions include family, Newcastle United and motorcycles (especially British ones) as well, until February 2025 when she left us, caring a little pug named Stella.

Click here to connect with him via LinkedIn.