‘A major Olympic venue with no transport’: Brisbane lord mayor says state should pay for upgrades

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has known as on the Queensland authorities to pay for public transport to its chosen Olympic stadium web site, and mentioned he most well-liked the state construct the brand new stadium as advisable by a current evaluation.  

Earlier this week, the federal government snubbed the findings of that evaluation, which it had commissioned.

The evaluation advisable changing the Gabba rebuild plan, which was prone to value $3 billion, with a brand new “greenfield” stadium at Victoria Park at a “marginally” increased value of as much as $3.4 billion.

As a substitute, the premier introduced it will put money into refurbishing a 3rd stadium on Brisbane’s south facet — Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre  — initially constructed for the 1982 Commonwealth Video games.

It was an possibility the evaluation suggested towards.

Victoria Park was most well-liked for its central location and intensive connectivity — as soon as the town’s new Metro and Cross-River Rail companies had been completed.

In the meantime, the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, nestled in suburban southern Brisbane is the brand new alternative for athletic occasions on the Video games.

Olympics shouldn’t burden ratepayers

Freshly re-elected Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner advised ABC Radio Brisbane it will be as much as the state authorities to pay to attach the positioning to the brand new Brisbane Metro community of devoted busways.

“It is regarding although, that there is not any budgeted value for that transport possibility. You may’t have a serious Olympic venue with no transport,” he mentioned. 

“Clearly, that is a typical sense factor. I believe that is cheap.

“This was their choice.”

He mentioned the Olympics shouldn’t be a burden to Brisbane ratepayers.

The Victoria Park stadium remained the Lord Mayor’s most well-liked possibility, so long as its improvement didn’t scale back the town’s inexperienced area.

“I believe [the cost of refurbishing QSAC], it is marginally decrease, however definitely there’s not the identical legacy advantages that might be provided by a Victoria Park possibility,” he mentioned.

Mr Schrinner mentioned he was involved in regards to the lack of leisure alternatives because the states getting older stadium inventory falls into disrepair, and steered the state authorities might convert land close to Victoria Park, presently used for Cross River Rail building, to inexperienced area.

“Our metropolis wants parkland, because it grows, we do not wish to see the lack of that,” he mentioned.

Media commentary this week steered the state authorities had thought-about cancelling the video games – which it vehemently denied.

The Lord Mayor mentioned it will be a disappointing choice if it ever had been to occur.

2032 president says change is a part of the method

Talking at an occasion in Melbourne this morning, Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris mentioned Brisbane was adhering to the “new norm” for Olympics, the place new stadiums weren’t constructed for the Video games.

Underneath the brand new technique, he mentioned organisers should plan for “reasonably priced and versatile video games”.

Whereas he didn’t instantly point out the stadium modifications, he mentioned organisers had been “maintaining forward of tempo regardless of some current setbacks”.

“I absolutely supported the evaluation as course of, [and] as a wise and pragmatic state, making certain our authentic commitments and our venues grasp plan … nonetheless made sense,” he mentioned.