Federal government rejected Queensland’s funding request for Gabba rebuild, inquiry told

The Queensland government asked the commonwealth to help fund a $2.7bn redevelopment of the Gabba stadium but was turned down because the project was part of “broader urban renewal” that went beyond the Brisbane Olympics, an inquiry has heard.

On Tuesday, the first day of a Senate inquiry into the 2032 Olympic Games, a senior Queensland government public servant confirmed the federal government had walked away from the sports stadium reconstruction.

Mike Kaiser, the director general of the state development and infrastructure department, said the Gabba rebuild was included as part of an Olympics infrastructure program the Queensland government had asked the federal government to fund.

He said the federal government had agreed to cover about half the cost of the $7bn infrastructure spend. Other projects, such as a proposed Brisbane arena – which will host swimming before being converted into a live music venue – received funding, he said.

“The reason why the commonwealth government has chosen not to fund the Gabba is because it’s part of a broader urban renewal precinct redevelopment. It’s not just a stadium,” he said.

“And so in terms of the government … keeping across all those outcomes that we’re seeking to achieve through the Gabba, that’s quite difficult for them.”

The Queensland government plans to demolish and rebuild the Gabba to accommodate Olympic athletics events, in a $2.7bn plan that will require the demolition of the nearby heritage-listed East Brisbane State School.

Kaiser defended the project, saying the rebuild would be necessary even without the Olympics because of the Gabba’s age and because reconstruction was less “risky” than a refurbishment.

That was disputed by several witnesses at the hearing who said the stadium could be upgraded or rebuilt on a smaller footprint if it was not used to accommodate Olympic athletics, thereby saving the school.

But Kaiser pointed to a report by Brisbane architecture firm Populous which provided advice that “East Brisbane State School needs to close under refurbishment or rebuild options”.

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Earlier in the hearing, the head of Australia’s Olympic Committee told the inquiry the $2.7bn Gabba rebuild was not required by the International Olympic Committee for Brisbane to hold the games.

Under questioning about his comments that the stadium would only require a “coat of paint” to host to the games, Matt Carroll said the upgrade would benefit other sports beyond the Olympics.

“The reconstruction of the Gabba is for AFL and cricket both before the games and after the games,” he said.

“Certainly for the two weeks of the Olympic Games and the two weeks of the Paralympic Games, we can use that venue. But its primary use … is those [other] sports.”

In response, Greens senator Penny Allman-Payne said: “What I’m hearing you say is it’s not actually a requirement for the Olympics to demolish the Gabba and rebuild it and knock down a school in the process.”

Carol said the IOC “does not dictate what a city should or should not build”.

The government plans to open a new school in Coorparoo in inner-city Brisbane to accommodate students from East Brisbane State School.

The senate committee will hold more hearings in Victoria next week.