Latest news with #Olympic-related
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
First Olympic legacy project to begin as soon as Ekka is over
Work on the new RNA Showgrounds arena will start within weeks, Premier David Crisafulli confirmed on Monday, signalling the start of Olympic-related construction in the 2032 host city. While the improved 20,000-seat arena would not host any competitions in 2032, due to its proximity to the adjacent athletes' village and the subsequent security overlay, the venue has been touted as a key Olympic legacy project. Crisafulli said work would begin on the historic John MacDonald and Ernest Baynes stands, built in 1906 and 1923 respectively, as soon as this year's Ekka was over. 'To see the work happening on those stands is something that will fill the community with hope about taking this venue to the next level,' he said. Loading RNA chief executive Brendan Christou said the character of the heritage-listed stands would be maintained. 'The Ekka has been changing for the past 150 years, and we evolve – we have to evolve,' he said. 'If you look at our grandstands now, there's no accessibility. 'Now, that wasn't an issue a hundred years ago when they were built, but obviously today, that's not acceptable.
The Age
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
First Olympic legacy project to begin as soon as Ekka is over
Work on the new RNA Showgrounds arena will start within weeks, Premier David Crisafulli confirmed on Monday, signalling the start of Olympic-related construction in the 2032 host city. While the improved 20,000-seat arena would not host any competitions in 2032, due to its proximity to the adjacent athletes' village and the subsequent security overlay, the venue has been touted as a key Olympic legacy project. Crisafulli said work would begin on the historic John MacDonald and Ernest Baynes stands, built in 1906 and 1923 respectively, as soon as this year's Ekka was over. 'To see the work happening on those stands is something that will fill the community with hope about taking this venue to the next level,' he said. Loading RNA chief executive Brendan Christou said the character of the heritage-listed stands would be maintained. 'The Ekka has been changing for the past 150 years, and we evolve – we have to evolve,' he said. 'If you look at our grandstands now, there's no accessibility. 'Now, that wasn't an issue a hundred years ago when they were built, but obviously today, that's not acceptable.
Courier-Mail
02-07-2025
- Business
- Courier-Mail
New apartment tower bound for $64m Brisbane site as housing crisis worsens
A major developer has paid $64.5m for a Brisbane riverfront site with plans to build more than 200 apartments at a time when the nation's fastest-growing city is crying out for more housing. It comes as new figures show construction timeframes have ballooned by 58 per cent in Queensland, and the state is still about 100,000 homes short of meeting its share of the 1.2 million national target by 2029. Consolidated Properties Group (CPG) has bought the 9,368 sqm site, featuring 47m of direct river frontage, at 47 Skyring Terrace, Newstead, in an off-market deal from Mirvac Group. MORE: Theme park legend's crypto hideaway hits the market Zac Efron's Aussie long lunch haunt is on the market Zoned for mixed use, the site has potential for up to 42,000 sqm of floor space and a maximum building height of 25 storeys under the Brisbane City Plan. While many private developers are struggling to find a builder to take on their projects, CPG has managed to sign Hutchinson Builders to deliver the apartments. CPG CEO and Chairman Don O'Rorke said the Newstead site offered a rare opportunity to deliver a 'super-premium' luxury residential apartment building in a prime inner-city location. 'Sites like this are as rare as it gets,' Mr O'Rorke said. 'We thought Monarch might be a one-off, but at Newstead we've been fortunate to have the opportunity to create another iconic residential address right in the heart of the city on the Brisbane River. This will be something elevated in every sense — something truly special.' RELATED: National Housing Accord 60,000 new homes short in first year It comes as the federal government's National Housing Accord prepares to mark its first-year anniversary, with the latest ABS figures showing Queensland has only approved 34,301 homes in the past 11 months. Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) analysis of recent ABS data shows, on average, between 2014 and 2024, the time to build a home in Queensland increased from six months in 2014 to more than 10 months in 2024 — a 58 per cent jump, with housing construction material costs also rising by 58 per cent. Brisbane architect Nick Symonds, Director of MAS Architecture Studio, said the demand for high-density housing was high, but the delivery pipeline was struggling to keep pace. 'These aren't townhouses or boutique builds,' Mr Symonds said. 'We're talking about substantial residential projects with hundreds of apartments, and developers can't find a builder willing or able to take them on under current conditions. 'Tier-one contractors have stepped away from major residential developments — not because they lack interest, but because these projects take too long, carry too much risk, and no longer stack up commercially compared to government work.' Mr Symonds said Olympic-related infrastructure and major public works were absorbing much of the available construction workforce. 'The Olympics is creating thousands of jobs, which is great, but it's pulling trades away from residential construction at the worst possible time,' he said. CPG plans to lodge a development application later this year with award-winning architects, Woods Bagot, who are already working on concept plans. CPG head of residential James MacGinley said the development would include a mix of boutique riverfront villas and 2-and 3-bedroom apartments, with north-east views up the river towards Hamilton Hill. 'It is peerless and there is no better development site in Brisbane,' Mr MacGinley said. 'We plan to do it justice and deliver a signature building for the city.' Colliers Queensland residential director Brendan Hogan, who negotiated the offmarket purchase with Troy Linnane, said demand for prestige development opportunities in Brisbane was outpacing supply. 'Opportunities like this simply don't come up anymore. This is the last of its kind on the Newstead waterfront and arguably the best-located residential site in the city,' Mr Hogan said. 'We're seeing exceptional demand in the premium apartment market, with 'off-the-plan' riverfront apartments achieving prices over $35,000 per square metre of net saleable area. 'The surge in apartment prices is largely driven by the demand from owner-occupiers who are seeking premium and larger apartment stock, which has accounted for the majority of sales in the market over the past two years.' The site acquisition reflects broader supply-side pressure in Brisbane's residential pipeline. Population forecasts show Brisbane will grow by more than 500,000 people during the next decade — faster than both Sydney and Melbourne — and inner-Brisbane is expected to face a shortfall of over 14,000 new apartments in the next four years alone, according to SQM Research. 'We know Brisbane is the nation's fastest-growing city with unlimited potential and we're building for that future,' Mr O'Rorke said.
Global News
26-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
City of Richmond now ground zero for a number of controversies
The City of Richmond is now ground zero for a number of controversies. The RCMP continues to investigate gift card purchases by the City of Richmond, after a Global News investigation revealed nearly half a million dollars was spent on cards between 2022 and 2024. A forensic audit is also reviewing the past 10 years of gift card purchases in Richmond, where one employee has been terminated. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie told Global News, 'Well, what I can say is on the gift card issue, we are trying get to the very bottom of this situation.' 2:08 Many questions after Richmond Olympic Oval delegation travels to Europe in 2022 Also being questioned are massive salaries. In 2024, Brodie's compensation totaled more than $379,000 – payments coming from the city, Metro Vancouver, TransLink and The Municipal Finance Authority. Story continues below advertisement Former Olympic Oval CEO George Duncan was paid $582,000. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Duff Conacher with Democracy Watch commented, 'People are getting paid $582,000 in a public sector position, I mean that's crazy.' He added that 'the salaries for these officials seem to be much greater than what should be paid to public officials for these kinds of positions.' 2:24 Richmond staff internal memo on gift cards Recently, the Olympic Oval and the city refused requests to disclose costs of a 2022 European junket to Olympic-related events. Brodie says he was unaware. 'I did not know about that trip. I think that number of people sent was excessive.' Sources later told Global News that almost $78,000 was spent sending eight people to Spain and Switzerland. It's a sharp contrast to Vancouver, Whistler and West Vancouver, who all say they have not gone on any Olympic-related trips since 2020, despite having hosted events in 2010. Story continues below advertisement Meanwhile, a forensic audit of the Olympic Oval continues. An outside agency is examining possible fraudulent activity or questionable transactions.
Global News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Richmond Mayor questioned over Olympic Oval Europe trip
As Global News continues to investigate spending at the City of Richmond, there has been a troubling incident involving Mayor Malcolm Brodie. It happened Tuesday morning at a playground in Steveston. Global News attended as invited guests and, in addition to covering the event, we tried to ask Mayor Brodie about a European junket taken by employees of the Olympic Oval and the city. In a stunning turn of events, Mayor Brodie grabbed our camera. 2:08 Many questions after Richmond Olympic Oval delegation travels to Europe in 2022 Richmond's media relations person intervened, saying the mayor was sensitive to our reporting on Monday that the city and Olympic Oval had refused our repeated attempts to obtain costs of the 2022 junket, which later prompted us to file a freedom of information request. Story continues below advertisement Sources inside the Oval have now told us eight people went to Olympic-related events in Spain and Switzerland and that the trip cost about $77,787. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Unfortunately, a lot of politicians across the country know that they can't blatantly steal the public's money and so they use perks and junkets as another form of corruption, which really amounts to theft of the public's money because there's no reason for most of the trips that they're taking,' Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher commented. After Brodie left the playground, his PR person contacted Global News and requested a sit-down interview for the mayor on Wednesday.
