News Gabba Upgrade & Olympics News

[M Malice]

I think one of the main flaws with the "go with a temporary budget stadium" is the fact Brisbane actually needs a new oval stadium. So it's a total waste to put a load of fresh money into a temporary stadium and temporary public transport requirements, only to then need more money to build a new stadium and new public transport anyway.

There is obvious logic there which seems to be suspiciously (brown paper bags) getting overlooked by the labour government.

Pub test and sniff test are both failing here and it should cost the current state government the election. Just hope the libs have a semblance of a brain cell (and a spine) and make the right legacy choice for all of Brisbane and don't just choose who will line their personal/professional pockets the most.

100% the bolded, we need to use this opportunity to get a world class stadium for the next 30+ years for AFL and Cricket, the spin off benefits would be massive.

 

[CarterS]

100% the bolded, we need to use this opportunity to get a world class stadium for the next 30+ years for AFL and Cricket, the spin off benefits would be massive.

Pretty mind boggling that they can't see that after how well it has gone in Adelaide and Perth.

 

[M Malice]

Pretty mind boggling that they can't see that after how well it has gone in Adelaide and Perth.

The politicians are in full on re election mode and that is their sole focus, hopefully some rare common sense breaks out post the election.

 

[Section 5]

100% the bolded, we need to use this opportunity to get a world class stadium for the next 30+ years for AFL and Cricket, the spin off benefits would be massive.

I agree wholeheartedly that Brisbane needs a new stadium for the Olympics, AFL and Cricket.
But both parties have stated no new stadium.
The LNP said no new stadium, then at a later date mentioned a 100-day review should they get into power.
It would be very unlikely both parties will spend two lots of 3 billion dollars on an Entertainment Centre and a new Stadium.
We all know they are spending that $6 billion anyhow just in a sneaky way that the public believes they are using the stadium money on cost-of-living relief, when in fact they are not.
Even the LNP have not pulled Labor up on that misinformation. No votes gained in doing that.

I have said repeatedly Brisbane does not need an overpriced $3.5 billion Entertainment Centre for the Olympics.
Could end up costing more or less as we are still waiting for the urgent Validation Report on the new site ordered by Miles.

Yes, Brisbane does need a new and a better location for an Entertainment Center, but it's not essential for the Olympics.
The very expensive construction costs of incorporating 3 Olympic pools inside this building is just a crazy expensive idea.
The Kirk review stated a new 3 Olympic class pools can be built for $620 million (price from memory) at Chandler.
That would be a lasting legacy for swimming at Chandler. Supposedly a legacy is what the IOC and Coats want to see.
No legacy when incorporated into the Entertainment Centre just a huge additional cost to first include the 3 pools and then remove them.

Cancelling the Brisbane Arena (Entertainment Centre) project is the only way i see both sides of politics changing their mind on building a new stadium.

If you asked the Brisbane public:
The government can only spend money on one project for the Olympics which would you choose.
(a) A new stadium site to replace The Gabba
(b) An Entertainment Centre to replace the Boondall Entertainment Centre

 

[M Malice]

I agree wholeheartedly that Brisbane needs a new stadium for the Olympics, AFL and Cricket.
But both parties have stated no new stadium.
The LNP said no new stadium, then at a later date mentioned a 100-day review should they get into power.
It would be very unlikely both parties will spend two lots of 3 billion dollars on an Entertainment Centre and a new Stadium.
We all know they are spending that $6 billion anyhow just in a sneaky way that the public believes they are using the stadium money on cost-of-living relief, when in fact they are not.
Even the LNP have not pulled Labor up on that misinformation. No votes gained in doing that.

I have said repeatedly Brisbane does not need an overpriced $3.5 billion Entertainment Centre for the Olympics.
Could end up costing more or less as we are still waiting for the urgent Validation Report on the new site ordered by Miles.

Yes, Brisbane does need a new and a better location for an Entertainment Center, but it's not essential for the Olympics.
The very expensive construction costs of incorporating 3 Olympic pools inside this building is just a crazy expensive idea.
The Kirk review stated a new 3 Olympic class pools can be built for $620 million (price from memory) at Chandler.
That would be a lasting legacy for swimming at Chandler. Supposedly a legacy is what the IOC and Coats want to see.
No legacy when incorporated into the Entertainment Centre just a huge additional cost to first include the 3 pools and then remove them.

Cancelling the Brisbane Arena (Entertainment Centre) project is the only way i see both sides of politics changing their mind on building a new stadium.

If you asked the Brisbane public:
The government can only spend money on one project for the Olympics which would you choose.
(a) A new stadium site to replace The Gabba
(b) An Entertainment Centre to replace the Boondall Entertainment Centre

A

 

[The Flying Belgian]

A

Best post you've made in a while!

 

[Perrip]

The LNP said no new stadium, then at a later date mentioned a 100-day review should they get into power.
It would be very unlikely both parties will spend two lots of 3 billion dollars on an Entertainment Centre and a new Stadium.

Just a few things on this. The LNP has said that they're doing both of these - no new stadium + a 100-day review on all Olympics infrastructure. Given Schrinner went from a solid anti-Vic Park stance during the BCC election campaign to pro-Vic Park, it's entirely possible that should the LNPs infrastructure review recommend Vic Park over the current plan and/or Gabba rebuild, Crisafulli would choose Vic Park.

It's also worth noting that under the current Olympic funding agreement the State has with the Feds, the Feds are paying for the new BEC while State pays for the new stadium.

 

[Section 5]

Just a few things on this. The LNP has said that they're doing both of these - no new stadium + a 100-day review on all Olympics infrastructure. Given Schrinner went from a solid anti-Vic Park stance during the BCC election campaign to pro-Vic Park, it's entirely possible that should the LNPs infrastructure review recommend Vic Park over the current plan and/or Gabba rebuild, Crisafulli would choose Vic Park.

It's also worth noting that under the current Olympic funding agreement the State has with the Feds, the Feds are paying for the new BEC while State pays for the new stadium.

Perrip, i know about the split up of the federal/state funding agreement. I posted a link to that agreement a long time ago.
The feds originally went with the Brisbane Arena as they did not want to be involved with the Gabba rebuild.
Their argument for doing this was that The Gabba rebuild was likely to have a bigger cost blowout than an Entertainment Center.
Little did they realize that the proposed Roma Street costs for BA under the Quirk review had it already blowing out to over $4 billion before a validation report was even done. Quirk recommended that site be dropped altogether.
Hense the next preferred site being the Roma Street Carpark area and some surrounding government land.
This is why Kirk mentioned the $620 million 3 pools at Chandler costing, thinking the Government may change course.
The Government did change course but not in a way anyone expected all because of Coates involvement prior to the report being handed down.
It would be very easy to change the Federal agreement just as they did immediately after the Quirk report.
The federal Government will do what the States end up recommending as long as they don't have to put in more money.

The LNP may very well change their mind about a new stadium after the review.
That review would end sometime late January or early February 2025.
Then they may have to endure months or years in dealing with vested interest in stopping Victoria Park being developed.
If someone could start dealing/negotiating with these groups now and come to a good compromise that would be best.
But no one can organize that from either side of Government.
The proponent of the Victoria Park proposal could do it in the hope they get the project, but it could easily be wasted money and effort and no guarantee they get the project anyhow.

If a backflip happens you will have a swag of x Brisbane Lord Mayors who still have powerful contacts opposing it.
Then you have the Heritage people and the Indigenous community that we have not heard anything from to date because they believe no stadium is being built on Victoria Park.

 

[mighty_lions]

Perrip, i know about the split up of the federal/state funding agreement. I posted a link to that agreement a long time ago.
The feds originally went with the Brisbane Arena as they did not want to be involved with the Gabba rebuild.
Their argument for doing this was that The Gabba rebuild was likely to have a bigger cost blowout than an Entertainment Center.
Little did they realize that the proposed Roma Street costs for BA under the Quirk review had it already blowing out to over $4 billion before a validation report was even done. Quirk recommended that site be dropped altogether.
Hense the next preferred site being the Roma Street Carpark area and some surrounding government land.
This is why Kirk mentioned the $620 million 3 pools at Chandler costing, thinking the Government may change course.
The Government did change course but not in a way anyone expected all because of Coates involvement prior to the report being handed down.
It would be very easy to change the Federal agreement just as they did immediately after the Quirk report.
The federal Government will do what the States end up recommending as long as they don't have to put in more money.

The LNP may very well change their mind about a new stadium after the review.
That review would end sometime late January or early February 2025.
Then they may have to endure months or years in dealing with vested interest in stopping Victoria Park being developed.
If someone could start dealing/negotiating with these groups now and come to a good compromise that would be best.
But no one can organize that from either side of Government.
The proponent of the Victoria Park proposal could do it in the hope they get the project, but it could easily be wasted money and effort and no guarantee they get the project anyhow.

If a backflip happens you will have a swag of x Brisbane Lord Mayors who still have powerful contacts opposing it.
Then you have the Heritage people and the Indigenous community that we have not heard anything from to date because they believe no stadium is being built on Victoria Park.

The IOC are a joke the Coates involvement is all just to save face for the olympic movement under the "new norm" bullshit they try and spin

a few weeks ago AOC president Ian chesterman was on a podcast basically saying happy to use qsac but yeah if Brisbane want a stadium then we are happy to use that too, what a joke, everyone wants a stadium just no ones prepared to put there name to it

 

[Section 5]

The IOC are a joke the Coates involvement is all just to save face for the olympic movement under the "new norm" bullshit they try and spin

a few weeks ago AOC president Ian chesterman was on a podcast basically saying happy to use qsac but yeah if Brisbane want a stadium then we are happy to use that too, what a joke, everyone wants a stadium just no ones prepared to put there name to it

Bolded: Even the CEO of the Games Organising Committee recently (May 29th) had a say. Link on the previous page.
.....................................................................
A Brisbane Olympic boss has called on people to argue their case for a new stadium, despite the Queensland government opposing it.

However, the chief executive of the 2032 Games organising committee, Cindy Hook, is confident the Brisbane Olympic infrastructure rollout will be sustainable and deliver legacy projects.

Hook did not criticise the government’s call on Wednesday, saying it was up to policymakers to choose how to spend taxpayers’ money.
However, she said people should push the government to build a new stadium for the Games if that was what they wanted.

“If you think Brisbane is a growing city that needs a new stadium, I heard you might want to speak up on that,” she told a Queensland University of Technology business leaders’ forum in Brisbane.

 

[Iron Turtle]

A little bit about the Gabba/Olympics in this article

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/na...ere-was-trouble-in-japan-20240613-p5jlgj.html

Brisbane was poised to host multiple Taylor Swift Eras shows. Then there was trouble in Japan
By Cameron Atfield
June 13, 2024 — 3.50pm

Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size
Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour was booked to come to Brisbane this year, but it was Tokyo – not a lack of venue – that caused the star to give Queensland a miss.

Swift’s seven sold-out shows in Melbourne and Sydney made up the biggest concert tour in Australian history, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics noting they boosted the retail economies of both cities.

The lack of Brisbane on the tour itinerary has been seized on by proponents of a new stadium to be built in the city before the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Stadiums supremo Harvey Lister, whose ASM Global venue and events company ran Suncorp Stadium and was behind the planned Brisbane Arena at Roma Street, told a business breakfast on Thursday the superstar’s Brisbane snub had nothing to do with the lack of a suitable venue.

But he still added his voice to those arguing for a new Brisbane stadium to be built in time for the 2032 Olympics, rather than a temporary refurbishment of the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre at Nathan.

“As JC [former Powderfinger bassist and fellow panelist John Collins] would know, where artists burn out is on the road, so [Swift’s] management said this world tour, we’re doing one city a week only, anywhere in the world,” Lister told the Brisbane Economic Development Agency breakfast at Brisbane Airport.

“We’ll do six dates, but we’ll only do one city a week.”

In response, tour veteran Collins quipped: “She does fly private, so she can toughen up a bit.”

Lister said it was the flow-on effects of stadium unavailability in the world’s largest city that forced tour promoters to bypass a planned run of shows in Brisbane.

“They chose to do two cities only in Asia – Tokyo and Singapore – and then they had their three weeks for Australia, so it was Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.

“The three cities were each booked for a week. Then the scheduling fell apart and they couldn’t get the Tokyo Dome for the week they wanted it – it was baseball or soccer or something – there was an event in there and they couldn’t move it.

“So it’s like, damn, we got to come through Tokyo so we’re going to have to push that out a week and that means we’re going to miss a city in Australia.”

Lister said the larger populations in Sydney and Melbourne made it a simple choice for Swift.

Given the first show after the Australian leg was in a 55,000-seat stadium in Singapore, Lister said stadium size in Brisbane was not a consideration for organisers.

“At Suncorp Stadium, we could have done 60,000 for that show,” he said.

Still, Lister said it was time for a new major stadium in Brisbane, regardless of the Olympics.

“I would think that sometime after the end of October [the state election] will be a time to ask whoever is our government at that time to revisit this,” he said.

“I’m feeling there’s a lot of momentum in this city.”

As for the location, Lister backed Victoria Park.

“I still believe it’s the right place, about the same walking distance as the MCG to the middle of Melbourne,” he said.

“There’ll be a pedestrian freeway built through Roma Street Parkland to get to where the Brisbane Live arena project will be so it’s only a hop, skip and jump farther to extend that and bring people back towards the city, instead of taking them away from the city and moving in the other direction.”

BEDA chief executive Anthony Ryan said the idea of the Olympic legacy being a reduced 14,000-seat capacity QSAC was “crazy”.

“If you look at the cost of QSAC, and you look at the cost of the transport that’s required to go into QSAC, the added costs literally is going to come back to a similar cost that Victoria Park would be, or the Gabba,” he said.

“I don’t care if it’s Victoria Park, I don’t care if it’s the Gabba, but I know it’s not QSAC, because we don’t want to be presenting QSAC to the world.”

 

[M Malice]

On SEN this morning > At the 18 Clubs Presidents & CEOs meeting tomorrow one of the items on the agenda will be the future of the Gabba.

Discussing where things sit so far as a potential redevelopment possibility.

 

[Perrip]

Interesting discussion on 4BC this arvo about the possibility of a new Brisbane stadium for 2032. Apparently people in the private sector belief Labor won't be in government following the October election, so a group of 'powerful private investors' met yesterday with LNP bosses about the feasibility of a private/public funded stadium for 2032.

 

[buttermuffs]

Interesting discussion on 4BC this arvo about the possibility of a new Brisbane stadium for 2032. Apparently people in the private sector belief Labor won't be in government following the October election, so a group of 'powerful private investors' met yesterday with LNP bosses about the feasibility of a private/public funded stadium for 2032.

I’d prefer if we don’t have an important infrastructure being privately owned. It’s never works out.

 

[BuntonRules]

I’d prefer if we don’t have an important infrastructure being privately owned. It’s never works out.

I prefer we have a new stadium.

 

[buttermuffs]

I prefer we have a new stadium.

Me too, but the Liberals will win in October and can build it anyway without any privatisation. If I had to bet, the government will need to pay any costs that go over, and will take the brunt of any criticism. Private investors will just be laughing their way to the bank.

 

[Billy ray]

Perth stadium is the model to follow
Lets hope they do that.

 

[Dalions]

I’d prefer if we don’t have an important infrastructure being privately owned. It’s never works out.

Private Company pays for new Stadium, Private Company then goes bust, Qld Gov then buys new Stadium off Private Company at Bargain basement.
All good!
We get a new Stadium.

 

[Jivlain]

Private Company pays for new Stadium, Private Company then goes bust, Qld Gov then buys new Stadium off Private Company at Bargain basement.
All good!
We get a new Stadium.

More realistically, "government puts down huge stake to derisk project, private company nonetheless owns it, extracts rents, goes bust due to huge payouts to shareholders, requires government bailout which still somehow does not take ownership; rescued private company continues to extract rents"

 

[Johnny Bananas]

Private Company pays for new Stadium, Private Company then goes bust, Qld Gov then buys new Stadium off Private Company at Bargain basement.
All good!
We get a new Stadium.

The government had every opportunity to buy the Airtrain, Clem Jones Tunnel and Airport Link cheaply after they all went bust. But they didn't. And now Airtrain in particular is coming back to bite them.

 

[briztoon]

The government had every opportunity to buy the Airtrain, Clem Jones Tunnel and Airport Link cheaply after they all went bust. But they didn't. And now Airtrain in particular is coming back to bite them.

For someone who has nfi, can you explain please.

 

[Grasshopper17]

More realistically, "government puts down huge stake to derisk project, private company nonetheless owns it, extracts rents, goes bust due to huge payouts to shareholders, requires government bailout which still somehow does not take ownership; rescued private company continues to extract rents"

Ha, this made me think of economics with cows for some reason.

 

[dlanod]

More realistically, "government puts down huge stake to derisk project, private company nonetheless owns it, extracts rents, goes bust due to huge payouts to shareholders, requires government bailout which still somehow does not take ownership; rescued private company continues to extract rents"

That's exactly what happened here with half the toll roads plus the private stations on the airport link.

 

[Johnny Bananas]

For someone who has nfi, can you explain please.

Airtrain only cost $220 million to build back in the 90s, but Rob Borbidge, the Premier at the time, didn't want to spend the money, so he got the private sector to pay for it. In return, the private sector set up a company that would own and operate Airtrain for 35 years, keeping all revenues (which is why it's so expensive to ride). What made it worthwhile for the private sector is that the contract gave them exclusive control over public transport to the airport terminals for those 35 years, meaning no public buses can go there, as they'd be competing with the Airtrain.

In 2012, the company set up to run Airtrain went bust, and got sold to a pension fund for $110 million, half of what it cost to build the line. The State Government could have stepped in and bought it themselves cheaply. But Campbell Newman was in power and he wanted to sell every government asset that wasn't nailed down, so of course he didn't bother. The same occurred with the toll tunnels, Newman refused to buy them dirt cheap when they went bust.

The reason it's coming back to bite the government now is that the 35 years only run out after the Olympic Games. Both major parties have realised that we'll need more capacity to move all the visitors from the airport, and having them pay huge fares as soon as they arrive here is bad for PR. But of course, the pension fund knows this is their big payday so they refuse to sell the line to the Government or get rid of the exclusivity clause in the contract for anything less than a massively inflated price. There's no good way out of this now.

I fear something similar will happen for a stadium if it's privately built. The ticket prices will increase significantly so the private sector can get their pound of flesh for funding the construction. The Government don't always act with the Lions' best interest at heart, but at least they want us to exist and remain popular. The private sector doesn't care about any of that, they'd have no problem with us going bankrupt as long as they made their money.

And if the stadium ever goes bust, the Premier at the time will probably refuse to buy the stadium for a low price, because in Queensland we don't seem to learn from our mistakes.

 

[GCS in 11]

Los Angeles has just changed the majority of their 2028 Olympic venues, notably moving the swimming to SoFi Stadium creating the largest Olympic swimming venue in history.

Los Angeles Olympics’ Revamped 2028 Venue Proposals: Swimming At SoFi, BMX & Skateboarding In The Valley, Softball To OKC

Organizers of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Friday unveiled its first batch of updates to its venue plan for the 2028 Summer Games.

deadline.com

It’s nice to see that even 4 years out, you can have large scale changes happen. They obviously have a lot more already built infrastructure, but as long as we can get changes to happen next year we should be fine.