Gabba rebuild on the verge of being scrapped
Reports suggest the $2.7 billion rebuild of the Gabba is set to be abandoned, with alternate Brisbane stadiums to host the ceremonies and athletics for the 2032 Olympics.
While the looming decision means cricket and the AFL won’t suffer short-term pain with events to continue on at the venue, there are questions around the longer-term future, with the Gabba already lacking compared to Australia’s other major stadiums.
Initial plans were to completely demolish and rebuild the Gabba into a 50,000-seat stadium, to host the athletics and opening and closing ceremonies for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
Soon after being voted in as new Queensland Premier, Steven Miles paused the Gabba rebuild plan and in January ordered a full review by former Brisbane mayor Graham Quirk.
Australian Olympic powerbrokers John Coates and Ian Chesterman have supported calls to scrap the rebuild, believing “it doesn’t stack up’’ and that there are “more creative solutions” available.
IOC vice-president Coates believes the opening and closing ceremonies should be held at Suncorp Stadium, while the athletics should be held at the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre (QSAC).
QSAC was the primary venue for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games and come 2032, will be 50 years old. A Stadiums Queensland Taskforce in 2018 recommended its temporary aluminium grandstands should be demolished. A major redevelopment would be required to bring the stadium up to international standard.
The taxpayer-funded rebuild of the Gabba was earmarked to commence in 2026, with the new stadium slated to open ahead of the Ashes series in the summer of 2029/30. Both the Brisbane Lions (AFL) and Cricket Australia had been supportive of the project.
However plans were yet to be locked in to fill the void during the Gabba rebuild, with AFL and cricket uncertain where they’d relocate to.
The Queensland Government unveiled plans in December last year to upgrade the Brisbane Showgrounds into a 20,000 boutique stadium, but the Lions and Queensland Cricket baulked at being asked to contribute millions to the project.
Other alternatives had included upgrading QSAC, playing at Springfield or the Gold Coast, while Queensland Cricket had unveiled plans to upgrade its headquarters at Allan Border Field.
The Quirk review is set to make its recommendations to the state government on 18 March.
