Reply to thread

Yesterday new Qld deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie released an initial report into some stadium upgrade costings.

Don't know when the original costings were done, or if they have been updated over time, but if they were 2021 figures, then its no surprise they have gone up by a decent amount. There will be plenty more of this type of stuff to come.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://archive.md/kmpzg[/URL]

Olympic venues blowout by $181m before a builder is chosen

The new LNP government has fired a shot at the former Labor government after revelations its Olympic venues had blown out by $181m before a builder has been selected to start construction.

Queensland’s Olympic and Paralympic Games venues are almost $200m over budget before a builder has been selected to start construction.

The cost of three minor venues – Chandler Indoor Sport Centre, Sunshine Coast Indoor Sport Centre and Sunshine Coast Stadium have blown out by $181m in less than one year.

Building the Sunshine Coast Indoor Sport Centre will cost at least $214m, a 50 per cent increase on the $142m budgeted.

The cost for Chandler has risen $61m to $275m while the stadium has jumped $48m to $196m.

Sunshine Coast Stadium and, separately, Indoor Sports Centre were delayed before the state election because the cost of building the projects has already exceeded the budgeted cost.

“We are going to be transparent and open with Queenslanders and we’re going to keep releasing these updated figures so Queenslanders can know what they would have got if the Labor Party was re-elected,” Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said.

“They should have been released before the election, but Steven Miles and Cameron Dick took a lie upon a lie and refused to release these details to Queenslanders.

“I asked one question to my department, what was the figures, and then a second question how much are they now?

“I was able to get it within 24 hours.”

Labor has been contacted for comment.

The federal government will provide a “capped contribution” of some $3.5bn for the Games, including $2.5bn to build Brisbane Arena and $935m for minor venues.

The funding agreement was struck in February 2023 between Anthony Albanese and Annastacia Palaszczuk.

However, the cost blowout in the minor venues program – and expected increase in the cost of Brisbane Arena – has prompted Mr Bleijie to ask the Commonwealth to review the near-two-year-old funding agreement.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King has refused to provide a cent more than $3.5bn, leaving Queensland taxpayers on the hook to pick up the tab.

The deputy premier this week warned the Commonwealth its funding agreement would form part of its 100-day infrastructure review.

It prompted Ms King to issue a letter to Mr Bleijie, seen by The Courier-Mail, to warn against it.

“It is the Commonwealth’s expectation that this agreement continues,” she wrote.

Premier David Crisafulli on Wednesday did not detail the anticipated terms of reference for the review, but again promised Queenslanders would no longer suffer “embarrassment” at the Games.

“We’ve got time to do this properly and we’ve got time to get the show back on the road,” he said.

“Within 100 days you’re going to see a plan for generational infrastructure.”