Claims government sells out Victoria Park under cover of darkness
Last-minute Olympic bill amendments put through Queensland Parliament last week may see Victoria Park Barrambin converted into freehold land.
Last-minute Olympic bill amendments out through Queensland Parliament last week may see Victoria Park Barrambin be converted into freehold land from June 1, 2026, according to a local lobby group.
Lobby group Save Victoria Park now fears the 150-year-old park is under threat of large-scale stadium construction and will now lose the safeguards allowing the inner-city green space to be kept in public hands.
Freehold land means the government is free to sell the land to the private sector, though the park has been ‘trust’ land for the last 150 years, meaning it can be leased but not sold.
Save Victoria Park members raised concerns about the move after campaigning for the protection of Victoria Park since 2020 to protect its cultural significance and reputation as Brisbane’s cherished green space.
“The Crisafulli government has failed to adequately answer questions about whether this new legislation means the park will be further carved up and sold off to the highest bidder,” sSave Victoria Park spokesperson Rosemary O’Hagan said.
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“Why were these laws passed without notice, under cover of darkness, without referral to a committee for oversight?”
Hogan says last year’s Olympic bill amendments already exempted games venues from most controls, including planning and environment laws.
She adds that the transfer to freehold does not remove the land’s First Nations cultural significance, and it does not override federal law.
The three applications lodged under Section 10 of the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act seeking permanent protection of the park remain active and unresolved.
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“This is about removing checks and balances, and abolishing community rights. It’s laying the groundwork for a private development ‘free for all’ in one of Queensland’s oldest and most important heritage green spaces,” Hogan adds.
“Our fears are not unfounded. The property industry has circled the park for decades. Developers themselves let the cat out of the bag two years ago when they published stadium proposals for Victoria Park, revealing high-rise residential towers on the city-view ridges. These new laws bring us one step closer to that future.”
The State Government made several fast-tracked legislative amendments last Thursday afternoon as part of the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Act 2021.
This included transferring Victoria Park’s tenure to the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority (GIICA), allowing them to commence work on the new Brisbane Stadium.
InDaily has approached the government for comment about the claims.
Last week, when the legislation was passed, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie said in a press release that the government was delivering for 2032 and beyond.
He said that “adding key projects to the Act cuts through bureaucratic delays, restores discipline to the program, and gives Queenslanders confidence that essential infrastructure will be delivered on time.”
