Brisbane’s former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk will lead an independent review of venues for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 60 day infrastructure review will focus on value for money, deliverability and community legacy across the state and will include the controversial $2.7 million Gabba redevelopment as well as the Brisbane Arena project.
Launching the review last Thursday, Premier Steven Miles said the Games had become a divisive issue for Queenslanders.
“We want to deliver a Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games that brings Queenslanders together and creates legacy benefits for decades to come,” he said.
“The mission is simple, make sure the Games work for Queensland and delivers for Queenslanders.”
He said the government will also establish a delivery authority for the Games with the aim of having it up and running by the middle of the year.
The Games are a chance for us to unite, but it has become divisive.
Premier Steven Miles
Mr Quirk said he looked forward to working on the review and consulting with stakeholders.
“This is important work for all Queenslanders which I am pleased to be a part of, having been involved from the inception of the idea of hosting the Games,” he said in a statement.
Mr Quirk served as Brisbane’s Lord Mayor between 2011 and 2019. The announcement of the review comes after his successor, Adrian Schrinner, announced late last year that he was resigning from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Intergovernmental Leaders Forum, labelling it a “dysfunctional farce”.
Cr Schrinner described state government plans to convert the Brisbane showgrounds arena into a temporary replacement for the Gabba during its Games redevelopment as the ‘final straw’.
Mr Miles indicted during a media conference last week that he was hoping for a better value for money outcome than knocking down the Gabba, but said the review would be carried out “without fear or favour”.
Senior NSW public sector CEO to join review
Mr Quirk, who oversaw development of feasibility studies for the 2032 Olympics, will be joined in the review by Ken Kanofski and Michelle Morris.
Mr Kanofski is the former chair of the Sydney Olympic Park Authority and currently chairs Placemaking NSW, as well as holding a part time position as independent NSW Planning Commissioner and director of the Western Sydney Airport. He’s also held CEO roles with the NSW RMS and Land and Housing Corporation.
Ms Morris is principal and director at international sports and event management company MI Global Partners.
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Donate the temporary stands that were erected for the Commonwealth Games at QEII to a sports club, build a new stadium, build a short busway from the SE Busway going to the west of QEII which would also service the Uni. Simple!!
The Gabba redevelopment proposal was always flawed economically and socially. It would have wrecked the East Brisbane State School, and Qld Cricket and the Brisbane Lions as sporting ventures.
My alternative is to look at the Victoria Park area at Herston as the venue to build the Olympic Stadium. There would be no need for the huge expense of knocking down existing stadiums. It is virtually a huge greenfield site. It’s a large area of land (64 ha) and is on the Queensland Heritage Register. It has been the subject of significant public consultation on it’s future. This did not include consideration as an Olympic stadium venue.
The new Exhibition station would be able to cater for the crowds with a 1km walk to the stadium and there is vehicle access via the innercity bypass, Bowenbridge Road and Herston Road.