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Brisbane's Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has called on the Queensland government to pay for public transport to its chosen Olympic stadium site, and said he preferred the state build the new stadium as recommended by a recent review.
Earlier this week, the government snubbed the findings of that review, which it had commissioned.
The review recommended replacing the Gabba rebuild plan, which was likely to cost $3 billion, with a new "greenfield" stadium at Victoria Park at a "marginally" higher cost of up to $3.4 billion.
Instead, the premier announced it would invest in refurbishing a third stadium on Brisbane's south side — Queensland Sport and Athletic Centre — initially built for the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
It was an option the review advised against.
Victoria Park was preferred for its central location and extensive connectivity — once the city's new Metro and Cross-River Rail services were finished.
Meanwhile, the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre, nestled in suburban southern Brisbane is the new choice for athletic events at the Games.
Olympics should not burden ratepayers
Freshly re-elected Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner told ABC Radio Brisbane it would be up to the state government to pay to connect the site to the new Brisbane Metro network of dedicated busways.
"It's concerning though, that there's no budgeted cost for that transport option. You can't have a major Olympic venue with no transport," he said.
"Obviously, that's a common sense thing. I think that's reasonable.
"This was their decision."
He said the Olympics should not be a burden to Brisbane ratepayers.
Minister for State Development and Infrastructure Grace Grace said there was an opportunity for improving the transport networks in the area around QSAC but they had not yet considered the costs of those upgrades.
"That is obviously something we need to consider — it's like the public transport networks on the sunshine coast, it's like the various transport networks that we are looking at," she said.
"We will work through all of those issues."
Victoria Park preferred option for mayor
The Victoria Park stadium remained the Lord Mayor's preferred option, as long as its development did not reduce the city's green space.
"I think [the cost of refurbishing QSAC], it's marginally lower, but certainly there's not the same legacy benefits that could be offered by a Victoria Park option," he said.
He also agreed the $3.4 billion price tag was too much to pay.
Ms Grace said the financial figures for the Victoria Park plan were preliminary, and that the $3.4 billion flagged in the review would already put the total spend over the agreed upon $7.1 billion.
"The government has a responsibility with its funding partner, the federal government, on a 50/50 basis, to keep the venues at $7.1 billion, and that is what we are committed to," she said.
Mr Schrinner said he was concerned about the loss of entertainment opportunities as the states aging stadium stock falls into disrepair, and suggested the state government could convert land near Victoria Park, presently used for Cross River Rail construction, to green space.
"Our city needs parkland, as it grows, we don't want to see the loss of that," he said.
Media commentary this week suggested the state government had considered cancelling the games – which it vehemently denied.
The Lord Mayor said it would be a disappointing decision if it ever were to happen.
2032 president says change is part of the process
Brisbane 2032 President Andrew Liveris said Brisbane was adhering to the "new norm" for Olympics, where new stadiums were not built for the Games.
Speaking with Channel Nine, Mr Liveris said people must keep in mind that Brisbane "committed to having 85 per cent of the venues either being in place or temporary, that's the new norm".
"The decisions around the stadiums are all about legacy," he said.
"Is this a legacy that the people of south-east Queensland want? And that's up to the elected politicians to decide."
Speaking at an event in Melbourne he said organisers must plan for "affordable and flexible games" to fit the new era of the Olympics not focused on huge expenditure.
"We will be refining our venues and game plan, and hopefully, turning dirt."