Queensland cabinet discussed backing out of Olympics this week
Queensland's cabinet discussed the cost of backing out as hosts of the 2032 Olympic Games as recently as Monday, it can be revealed, on the same day it emerged the government did not include transport costs in its budget for the Sport and Athletics Centre upgrade.
Last night, 9News revealed advice was sought by the Miles government about the cost of potentially cancelling the Brisbane Games.
The premier's office reacted by issuing swift denials, but 9News can now report that the advice was not just sought but that it was discussed in cabinet on Monday, with multiple sources who were inside the cabinet room confirming the detail.
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Queensland Premier Steven Miles dodged questions about the cabinet meeting in parliament today. Matt Dennien
Advice was given that it would cost at least $500 million and potentially up to $1 billion to get out of hosting the Games, and a further $3 billion in federal funding would also have been at risk.
Today in parliament, Premier Steven Miles dodged questions about those discussions, saying "we don't discuss what is discussed in cabinet and I don't intend to do so here today either".
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman played a similar tune when asked by 9News about the discussions.
"I want to be very clear: I'm not going to talk about discussions at cabinet," she said.
The government decided to push ahead with hosting, and announced it would spurn the recommendation to demolish the Gabba and construct a new state-of-the-art stadium.
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The Queensland government has denied that it considered cancelling the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. Angela Wylie
Instead, it opted to upgrade the iconic stadium, as well as refurbish both Suncorp Stadium, so it can host the opening and closing ceremonies, and the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC) so it can hold track and field events.
Miles said the upgrades would meet the originally promised $7.1 billion price tag, but today it emerged transport costs have not been factored into the $1.6 billion budget for QSAC.
Those extra costs could take the funds required for the athletics revamp beyond $2 billion.
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The state government has backed away from a Gabba demolition. AP
"It is my initial estimate that there would need to be $400-$500 million put on the table just to accommodate the transport options in and out of QSAC," Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli slammed the change of direction on stadiums, but also refused to commit to a Gabba rebuild if the Coalition is elected to government in this year's election.
He said instead he would, if elected premier, shift the focus back to infrastructure with an independent delivery authority.
Meanwhile, the NSW government also put its oar in, with state Treasurer Daniel Mookhey suggesting Sydney could become a two-time host.
"Our record is unmatched and we've set a very high standard for Queensland," he said.
"If they can't do it, they should give me a call."
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