Campaigners claim Victoria Park’s 150th birthday may be its last
Save Victoria Park supporters – including a former Premier – gathered in the park this morning to continue their campaign against an Olympic stadium being built in the parklands.
Save Victoria Park (SVP) president Sue Bremner said this morning’s event was a pivotal moment in the park’s long history.
“As we celebrate the ongoing custodianship of our First Nations and the vision of our forebears, we pledge to continue fighting the short-sighted, destructive plans of those currently in power,” Bremner said.
Today’s event was also a celebration of 150 years since the historic inner-city green space was established, which supporters celebrated with music, live painting displays and cake.
Yagera elder from Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation, Gaja Kerry Charlton opened the event with a Welcome to Country.
Former premier Campbell Newman and councillor Seal Chong Wah also made speeches this morning, advocating for the future of the park.
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SVP spokesperson Andrea Lunt claimed that since the Victoria parkland was established in 1875, it had shrunk from 130 hectares to 63 hectares.
“Slowly it’s been whittled away and we’re just saying, look, enough is enough. You won’t be able to call it a parkland if you put in two major stadiums and a warm-up track,” Lunt said.
Lunt says SVP’s independent studies have shown that the new stadium’s facilities will take up to two-thirds of Victoria Park.
In June, the Queensland government passed legislation to override 15 planning laws in preparation for Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
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“Our fear is that it won’t stop there because the whole park has been classified an Olympic authority venue under the government’s Olympic bill, which technically means that they can build anything there and classify it as Olympics-related, without having to go through the proper planning processes,” Lunt said.
This morning’s event followed recent comments from the state government authority in charge of Olympic infrastructure Simon Crooks, who said earthworks for the stadium could begin in mid-2026.
SVP says it would be premature to have such an early start on construction without approval of key planning documents such as the precinct masterplan.
“They know how risky this project is. It’s built on a house of cards – on broken election promises, an abandoned Host City Contract, the trashing of 15 acts of parliament and mounting disquiet about Olympics spending,” Sue Bremner said.
Bremner also said the government had not complied with key commitments outlined in the Olympics Intergovernmental Agreement with the Commonwealth.
“This agreement makes it clear that the state must engage in genuine consultation with First Nations and affected communities in order to maintain federal funding for their Olympic projects,” Bremner said.
There have also been concerns that construction of an Olympic stadium in Victoria Park will not be completed in time for the 2032 Olympics.
InDaily contacted the office of the chief executive officer of the Games Independent Infrastructure Authority Simon Crooks but did not receive a reply by deadline.
