Latest news with #VictoriaPark
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Concrete and steel': Stark new modelling exposes grim legacy of Brisbane's 2032 Olympic Games
Stark new modelling shows Brisbane is set to lose the majority of its largest inner-city parkland to make way for a mega Olympic stadium the government promised would never be built. Sustainable development research Neil Peach has conducted analysis of the impact of constructing a 63,000-seat arena at Victoria Park, showing at least 58 per cent of the 64-hectare green space. The release of the assessment coincides with new visuals showing the significant impact of the stadium and its associated infrastructure. Major difference to official renders Perth's Optus Stadium – a 60,000 seat and 14-storey high venue – has been superimposed on the site as a comparable indicator, advocacy group Save Victoria Park explained. 'These new images show in proper scale how much this mega structure will completely overwhelm the park and local suburbs,' the group's spokesperson Rosemary O'Hagan said. 'And these pictures don't even include the 25,000-seat aquatics stadium, Olympic warm up track and other major ancillary facilities now planned for the site.' The government's official render of the new stadium in Victoria Park. Save Victoria Park's render of the 'true' size and scale of the stadium. The visuals show official architectural impressions released by the Queensland Government are misleading, Ms O'Hagan said. 'The glossy official renders we have seen to sell this project to date are nothing more than architectural artifice. They are not concepts, or plans. 'Where are the sprawling plazas, the bridges, the towering retaining walls, and the extensive amenities that will be required to cope with tens of thousands of people at a time? 'Where are the multiple car parks and connections to roads and train stations that have been promised?' Government figures 'don't add up' Planning for the 2032 Games has been marred by confusion for several years, with original announcements abandoned or revised, as well as projected cost blowouts. In March, following a 100-day review of Olympic infrastructure needs, the recently elected Liberal-National government unveiled its final plan, with a Victoria Park stadium as its centrepiece. But in a bid to ease community tension, the review insisted just 12 to 13 per cent of the site's green space would be consumed by the stadium and its related infrastructure. Ms O'Hagan said the source of that figure remains 'unknown' and is wildly off the mark. To scale overlay showing Perth's Optus Stadium against the government's artist's impression of a stadium in Victoria Park. Excludes warm-up track and a 25,000-seat aquatic stadium also planned for the site. Picture: Save Victoria Park Full overlay on the Victoria Park site, showing the entire northern side would need to be redeveloped to meet requirements. Picture: Save Victoria Park Dr Preach's analysis conservatively estimates the true loss of green space at 58 per cent, with that conclusion reached via site-specific modelling and the input of town planning, sports architecture and engineering experts. On top of that, a recent report in The Courier-Mail indicated the government is considering selling off additional chunks of land inside Victoria Park to residential developers, Ms O'Hagan said. 'This is a salami slicing tactic – taking a bit at a time and announcing impacts gradually so that the full size and extent is not revealed until it's too late,' she claimed. 'It's time the government told us exactly how much public land we are losing with this Victoria Park construction fest, and how much it's going to cost.' The government insists its plan is the best way forward for the 2032 Olympics and will deliver a 'lasting legacy' beyond the global event. And with the clock ticking, Brisbane 2032 boss Andrew Liveris said 'the time for talking has passed'. 'Let's put the plan into place,' Mr Liveris said. A 'precious public asset' Victoria Park was first designated as a future public parkland in 1875. Until recently, it was home to a sprawling golf club, the closure of which saw the original vision revived. As well as being heritage-listed, Ms O'Hagan said Victoria Park is a significant Indigenous cultural site. 'Let's call this project what it is – a major profit-driven redevelopment of one of Brisbane's most precious public assets,' she said. 'What is truly hard to understand here is that there are and always have been other viable options – flat, less challenging sites not listed on Queensland's Heritage Register. 'This is an extremely hilly, challenging landscape, in a high traffic area next to Queensland's largest hospital. You can't simply plonk mega venues here.' Opponents rally against the Olympic stadium at Victoria Park. Picture: Patrick Woods. Victoria Park Olympic stadium protesters join forces to form giant human 'NO'. Picture: Liam Kidston The government's plan 'signal the death' of the future of Victoria Park, she added. Authorities haven't confirmed the cost of the new stadium, but the formal review of infrastructure needs estimated it at $3.4 billion. Green group Aussie Animals said sacrificing more than half of the green space will have dire environmental consequences. 'Urban green spaces don't just provide aesthetic value – they are essential infrastructure for climate resilience,' a spokesperson said. 'The park's 64 hectares of green space help cool surrounding neighbourhoods, manage stormwater run-off, and provide a natural buffer against extreme weather events. 'Replacing this natural infrastructure with concrete and steel would effectively remove one of Brisbane's most important climate adaptation assets at a time when we need it most.' Broken promises and fast-tracking In the lead-up to and during the election, now-Premier David Crisafulli repeatedly vowed no new stadiums would be built. In March, conceding he had broken a key election promise, Mr Crisafulli told reporters: 'I have to own that, and I will, and I am sorry. It's my decision.' Legislation introduced by the government will see all Olympic venues, including the stadium at Victoria Park, exempt from major planning rules including the Environmental Protection Act, Queensland Heritage Act, and Planning Act, among others. 'With the largest infrastructure investment in Queensland's history, it's important there are clear pathways to delivery, with the appropriate oversight of government in the right places,' Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie said. Premier David Crisafulli concedes he broke a key election promise. Picture: Josh Woning When the Games have concluded, the new stadium will be the new home of AFL and cricket in Brisbane. The Gabba, an ageing asset that had originally been flagged for redevelopment by former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, is too expensive to save and will be demolished instead. 'It became a choice between spending billions on temporary facilities and temporary stands that delivered no legacy, or securing the future of AFL and cricket at a new home,' Mr Crisafulli said. Research by Griffith University conducted in 2023 and 2024 found many Queenslanders are 'apathetic about the Games and concerned about their cost'. 'Some were unclear how the event would benefit them. Others were concerned the games would take resources away from areas they felt were more important,' the researchers noted. 'This research highlights an urgent need and opportunity to ensure Olympic plans and outcomes are relevant and positive for the host community at large.' Save Victoria Park has vowed to launch a legal challenge.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Greg Swann to leave Brisbane Lions to job with AFL as head of football performance
Departing Lions chief executive officer Greg Swann is proud to be leaving Brisbane as a club that fans 'want to support' and footballers 'want to play for'. Swann will return to Melbourne next month after 11 years in charge of the Lions to start a new job with the AFL. Swann has been appointed the AFL's head of football performance, with his duties including taking charge of game analysis, match review, player movement and laws of the game. Despite being 'ready for next career challenge', 63-year-old Swann – previously a chief executive at Collingwood and Carlton – said he was also 'sad' to be leaving the Lions. 'When I started (in July 2014), there were some challenging times, but the Lions are now a club fans want to support, and importantly we're a club players want to play for,' he said. 'Claiming the two AFLW flags (2021, 2023) and the 2024 AFL premiership are the highlights, but across the board, the club is now in a really strong position on and off the field. 'We'll soon be debt free, membership is at record levels, we have a great list across both the men's and women's teams, our base at Brighton Homes Arena is one of the best in the Australian sport, and we have certainty and clarity moving forward with the new Victoria Park stadium. 'It is the efforts of a wide range of committed and connected people who have managed to turn this club around and shape the club we have become.' Lions chairman Andrew Wellington said Swann's 'steady hand and experience' had been 'crucial' to Brisbane's 'renewed success'. 'He's been a terrific leader during some challenging times, and it has been a pleasure to work alongside him as a colleague and friend,' Wellington said. 'We wish Greg all the best with the AFL and know he will make the same positive impact on the code that he has at the Lions.' Current Lions chief operating officer Sam Graham will replace Swann in the top job. 'Sam has been our chief operating officer for more than 18 months now. In that time, he has demonstrated his strong capabilities and built strong relationships within the club and with our key stakeholders,' Wellington said. 'I am confident he will hit the ground running.'
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Books about June 4 Tiananmen Square crackdown grow scarce in Hong Kong
Books about the Tiananmen Square crackdown have become increasingly scarce in Hong Kong's independent bookstores, with sellers citing widespread self-censorship fuelled by legal uncertainties surrounding the sale of politically sensitive titles under the national security laws. The disappearance of the books and the loss of the annual June 4 candlelight vigil in Victoria Park, combined with the city's changed political environment, had contributed to turning commemoration into a private experience, rather than a publicly shared one, observers said. Ultimately, this shift would alter how memories about the event were passed down by generations, one professor of communications said. As Wednesday's 36th anniversary of the crackdown approaches, the Post reviewed the archives of public libraries and university libraries and surveyed bookshops to assess the availability of books in Chinese or English on the topic. Public libraries used to house 149 titles, totalling 1,162 copies about the event, according to a list released by the Home Affairs Bureau in 2009 in response to a lawmaker's request. None of the titles are available on the public library's online catalogue, according to a recent search. In a reply to the Post, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said public libraries reviewed and withdrew materials to ensure 'their compliance with the laws of Hong Kong'.
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
1st Hussars Honour D-Day heroes at Holy Roller Memorial in Victoria Park
Ahead of the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the 1st Hussars Regiment Association held a public memorial, CTV London's Reta Ismail has the details. Ahead of the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion, (which will take place on June 6) the 1st Hussars Regiment Association held a public memorial next to the Holy Roller tank in Victoria Park on Sunday. 'On June 6, 1944, 14,000 Canadians landed that day. There were, 39 squadrons of (Canadian) airplanes,' explained Joe Murray, a retired Lieutenant Colonel with the 1st Hussars Regiment Association. 'The 1st Hussars led the way on D-Day, we landed amphibious tanks, we landed, generally speaking, ahead of the infantry,' explained Lt. Col. Murray. 'There were hundreds of Canadian ships at the end of World War two, we had over a million people in uniform from Canada. We had the third largest navy, fourth largest air force, and sixth largest army in the world.' 060125_DDAY holy roller victoria park London D-Day memorial next to Holy Roller in Victoria Park, June 1, 2025 (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) The names of 187 fallen Hussars were read during the ceremony, as wreathes were laid at the foot of the Holy Roller. A parade to the sound of bagpipes marched through downtown to Victoria Park, where the Holy Roller has been on display since 1950. 'The Holy Roller was one of the two tanks that made it from D-Day to the end of the war, and we call it our last veteran,' said an emotional Lt. Col. Murray. 'It was beat up, it's scarred somewhat through battle, but it survived… just like the veterans who came back.' 060125_DDAY holy roller victoria park London D-Day memorial next to Holy Roller in Victoria Park, June 1, 2025 (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) The ceremony honoured all who served and acknowledged a change of command for the 1st Hussars. Brigade commander, Col. Blair Ashford, says the 1st Hussars have roots back to the 1800's. 'We just need to remember those that have served and didn't come back. And it's our sacred duty to remember that, because still our soldiers to go into danger today. And we need to make sure that they realize that we'll remember them if they do fall.' Also on hand for the memorial was the King's Royal Hussars from England, who attended the ceremony for the first time in history.
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Honouring veterans ahead of D-Day anniversary
Ahead of the 81st anniversary of the D-Day invasion, the 1st Hussars Regiment Association held a public memorial next to the Holy Roller tank in Victoria Park on Sunday. CTV London's Reta Ismail has the details.
