Work is set to commence on the controversial new Olympic Stadium in Brisbane, even as protesters gathered at Victoria Park in a final attempt to halt the project. Victoria Park, located in Brisbane's north, was announced in March last year as the site for a brand-new stadium for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Construction activities are scheduled to begin on Monday, with the park being handed over to the state government starting June 1. The announcement has sparked significant opposition, and on Friday, five protesters were arrested after an on-site tent embassy at the heritage-listed park was forcibly dismantled.
Premier Defends the Project
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli described the start of work as a special day for the state. "This is a really special day for the state, and early work will be underway here in Victoria Park," he told media on Monday. Crisafulli defended the project, asserting that Queenslanders overwhelmingly want the government to "get on with it." He added, "This is the centrepiece for what we want to create."
Premier Crisafulli had previously reversed an election promise not to construct any new stadiums for the Games. He now claims his government is delivering "generational sporting infrastructure for 2032 right across Queensland." The decision also involves exempting the Olympic venue from 15 state planning, environmental, and heritage laws.
Cost and Design Details
The stadium is expected to cost $3.8 billion, which is more than half of the total $7.1 billion budget for the Games' entire infrastructure plan. The 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park has been designed by Australian firms Cox and Hassell, with assistance from Japanese group Azusa Sekkei.
The Premier emphasized that, starting Monday, Victoria Park is a construction site and would not be safe for protesters or workers if demonstrations continued.
Protesters and Community Concerns
Andrea Lunt, an organizer with the Save Victoria Park campaign, expressed disappointment over the project's commencement. "This space with its heritage and its history is such a special asset for Brisbane," she told AAP. "We're not an anti-Olympics group, but we don't support the Olympics in its current form, which is going to take away precious green space from future generations — they don't need to be mutually exclusive."
Lunt noted that the site holds particular significance for Traditional Owners, with dozens of ancient trees still standing, and their loss would be ecologically irreplaceable. "We're ripping it up for a stadium that could be going elsewhere," she said.
Hundreds gathered on Sunday, including children, carrying placards with messages such as "parks over profits" and "hands off Victoria Park." Indigenous elders have declared the park a place of significance to many First Nations peoples and are calling for their concerns to be heard.
Federal Response
Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt confirmed on Sunday that he had received ten applications seeking an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act, which allows the federal environment minister to issue a declaration to protect a significant Aboriginal area under threat of injury or desecration. Watt said two applications had already been declined, while the others remain under consideration.
"In assessing these section 9 applications, I had to consider whether a significant Aboriginal area was under serious and imminent threat of injury or desecration. I have considered the material provided by the applicants, proponents, the Queensland Government, and other interested parties in accordance with the Act," he said. "In accordance with Federal cultural heritage law, I have decided not to make declarations under section 9 of the Act in relation to these applications. This is because, based on the information before me with respect to each application, I was unable to be satisfied that either application met the statutory requirements for a declaration to be made under the Act."
