QSAC revamp backed for Olympics over review recommendations
The rebuild of the Gabba appears dead, with Queensland Premier Steven Miles instead declaring the state will redevelop QSAC as the main stadium for the 2032 Olympics.
The Premier’s bombshell announcement comes despite the independent Sport Venue Review recommending a new stadium at Victoria Park and declaring that a redevelopment of QSAC would be a waste of money.
Not long after the $450,000 tax payer funded report was released, Miles said cabinet had endorsed spending $1.6 million to upgrade the Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre (QSAC) at Nathan to serve as the track and field venue for the Olympics, while the ceremonies would likely be staged at Suncorp Stadium.
Formerly known as QEII Stadium, QSAC was built for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games and a 2018 taskforce called for the removal of its temporary grandstands.
Redevelopment of the stadium for the 2032 Olympic Games would see it completely rebuilt, with the existing western grandstand not meeting accessibility requirements and the temporary stands at the end of their useful life.
A new 8,000-seat western grandstand would be constructed, with permanent seating for a further 6,000 spectators around the perimeter of the track. Temporary grandstands would then be installed for the Games, boosting capacity to either 30,000 or 40,000, before reverting to a 14,000-capacity stadium post-Games in legacy mode.
Mr Quirk’s review said, “Transport and access to the QSAC Stadium during the Games will be extremely challenging and costly to facilitate”, with shuttle buses to be used to get spectators in and out of the venue, while the Gabba and Victoria Park options would both have access via train.
“An upgrade of the QSAC Stadium does not represent value for money and has limited legacy opportunities given the current QSAC Stadium is able to meet the existing high demand for community use,” according to the review.
The Premier said the spare $1 billion in funding would be used to upgrade Suncorp Stadium and the Gabba, although the details of both upgrades are unknown.
Meanwhile, the Queensland government has endorsed Mr Quirk’s proposal to relocate Brisbane Arena north of its planned site over the Roma Street railway station, which would have likely cost $4bn.
