Olympic stadium work underway as premier warns off protesters – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Personalise the news and
stay in the know
Emergency
Backstory
Newsletters
中文新闻
BERITA BAHASA INDONESIA
TOK PISIN
Find any issues using dark mode? Please let us know
By Claudia Williams
Topic:Olympic Games
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 10:33am
David Crisafulli helped turn the first sod at Victoria Park.  (ABC News: Will Murray)
Work has begun on Brisbane's 63,000-seat Olympic stadium ahead of the 2032 games.
The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took over ownership of the land at midnight.
It’s after days of protest, with five arrested at a protest camp last week.
Work is beginning at the Victoria Park site of Brisbane's Olympics stadium, with the state's premier saying those opposed are free to express their views, but not between "excavators and bulldozers".
The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took over ownership of the land from the Brisbane City Council at midnight to allow for early works to begin on the $3.6 billion stadium.
The stadium is tipped to be finished a year before the Olympics.  (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
On Monday, Premier David Crisafulli held a press conference alongside representatives from the Brisbane Lions and Cricket Australia to celebrate the milestone for the 63,000-seat venue, which will also be home to AFL and cricket.
"We are going to create a world-class green space, bookended by a world-class stadium for a world-class event for a state on the rise," he said.
Children from the Wests Junior AFL team help turn the first sod at Victoria Park.  (ABC News: Will Murray)
Construction is underway at Victoria Park after the Independent Games Authority took over the land. (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
It comes after days of protests against the stadium, including on Sunday that saw hundreds of people gather, with Save Victoria Park calling for the parklands and green space to be preserved.
Indigenous groups have said the site is of deep cultural significance and they fear the loss of sacred springs and trees if construction goes ahead.
The last protesters were removed in the early hours of Monday morning. Police said no charges or arrests were made as the activists were moved on.
Vanessa Berry, who was at Victoria Park on Monday morning told the ABC she was "devastated" the area would be developed.
"We will continue to support the protection of this park," she said.
"We hold hope and will continue to be here."
Vanessa Berry was at the park to protest on Monday morning. (ABC News)
Matthew Shepherd, who lives locally, said he was "heartbroken" that the place where his family had celebrated many events was being developed.
"I think it is an absolute travesty that we are losing the last inner-city green space that we have in Brisbane," he said.
Local resident Matthew Shepard said the development is a 'travesty.' (ABC News)
Nurse at the nearby hospital precinct Colleen Niland said there had been little communication between the government and the hospital staff.
She said the staff were told they were going to lose 137 car parks, but little information had been provided regarding road congestion, dust, vibration or any other impact of the works.
She said for many patients and their families, Victoria Park was a "sanctuary" during treatment.
Colleen Niland said nearby hospital staff had received little information.  (ABC News)
"It was such a lovely centre for them to have some removal from all the beeps of machines in the hospital campus," she said.
"We're not anti-Olympics, this is just such an atrocious site to put this stadium.
"I think the consideration for what the impact is going to be on this health precinct and the research centres has been completely overlooked and not communicated to any of us."
Police remain at Victoria Park, where hundreds protested the new stadium over the weekend.  (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
On Friday, five people were arrested after police and council workers entered a camp opposing the stadium.
When asked about the scenes on Friday, Mr Crisafulli said it would be a safety issue if people were protesting in the middle of a construction site.
"I'd say the vast majority of Queenslanders want us to get on with it," he said.
"That doesn't mean that people can't express a different point of view they just can't express it running in between excavators and bulldozers."
Mr Crisafulli said two-thirds of the project would be green space and would be free to access.
Indigenous groups say the site is deeply culturally significant.  (ABC News: Lucy Loram)
The federal environment minister's department is considering five applications for declarations to protect an area of the park under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
On Sunday, federal Environment Minister Murray Watt rejected two cultural heritage protection applications relating to the early works as he was "unable to be satisfied that either application met the statutory requirements for a declaration ".
Under the Act, there are no powers to stop work and there are no statutory time frames for determining applications.
When asked when the stadium would be finished, GIICA chief executive Simon Crooks said they were working towards a year before the Games.
"We set quite a tight target to finish early because you don't have any time for mistakes," he said.
Mr Crooks said work would now start on decommissioning the site and testing before earth works begin "shortly afterwards".
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 10:33am
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 2:07pm
Topic:Sexual Offences
LIVE
Topic:One Nation
Topic:Courts
Topic:Explainer
Topic:Olympic Games Venues
Brisbane
Government and Politics
Olympic Games
Topic:Sexual Offences
LIVE
Topic:One Nation
Topic:Courts
Topic:Explainer
Topic:Missing Person
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 3:17pm
Topic:Rugby Union
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 3:16pm
Topic:Crime
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 3:11pm
Topic:Greyhound Racing
Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 3:02pm
Your home of Australian stories, conversations and events that shape our nation.
This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
Sign up to get the latest on your favourite topics from the ABC

source