Speech by Councillor Seal Chong Wah, to full Brisbane City Council Meeting, Tues 11th Feb 2025
Image courtesy of Denis Taylor
I rise to speak on the proposal to dump a mega stadium in the green lungs of this city. Victoria Park Barrambin.
Frankly, I should not need to speak on this again. If the LNP could ever be trusted, I wouldn’t have to. This Council committed this city to the Victoria Park Barrambin Master Plan. We funded the consultation of over 80,000 residents. 80,000!
By February last year, the Lord Mayor had spent $33 million of ratepayer funds on the design and early works for the Master Plan. In August, all three levels of government each committed $40 million of public funds. That’s a further $120 million committed to the Master Plan. It only took a few months for the Lord Mayor to throw this out the window and spruik developer plans to dump a mega stadium in the green lungs of our city.
Well last week - in a Senate Inquiry - the Federal Government confirmed that, yes, they will fund a Brisbane Arena. But they will NOT fund a new stadium.
Is the Lord Mayor prepared to toss aside a $120 million agreement for a handful of wealthy developers? When will Cr Howard front Brisbane residents and take back her statement that she and the Mayor would “protect and expand Brisbane’s precious greenspace by creating the city’s biggest public park in 50 years”? Over the next 22 years, it’s estimated Brisbane will see an increase of up to 400,000 people in this local government area, alone.
We know this Council have been struggling to meet its desired standards of service for greenspace for quite some time. We’re very familiar with the LNP Council SELLING OFF greenspace. Failing to MAINTAIN greenspace. Failing to even plan for greenspace in rapidly densifying suburbs like Milton.
So it’s no surprise that this Council voted in November to reduce our greenspace standards. This vote alone will result in a loss of 290 hectares of greenspace for Brisbane’s projected population by 2036. The LNP cannot be trusted. Mayor Schrinner is cutting our greenspace and now he’s set his sights on our historic Park. While this Mayor will never understand principles like transparency and accountability, he should at least know how to read a contract.
Chair, Councillors, I have brought with me the Olympic Host Contract. This contract was signed by Cr Adrian Schrinner on behalf of the Host City, Brisbane City Council.
If the Mayor did his basic diligence and read before signing on the dotted line, he would see that he has committed to the conservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage. He would see it stipulate that where new permanent venues need to be constructed, the Hosts shall ensure they are not located in or adjacent to statutory nature, cultural protected areas or World Heritage Sites.
In our city plan, you will see that the entire park is classified as Local Heritage Place. Furthermore, a huge portion of the park is State Heritage including the very site of Schrinner’s beloved Archipelago stadium.
An honorary mention too, to the term “climate positive” which appears three times in this contract. There is nothing positive about gutting Brisbane’s largest park, in the midst of a climate and ecological crisis. LNP leaders can try their luck at lies and mistruths like “no new stadiums” or “not ruling anything in or out”, or “not our decision”. But Mayor Schrinner cannot waddle his way out of this one.
Chair, I’ve got a message to Mayor Schrinner, Cr Howard, and the Premier. KEEP. YOUR. WORD. Deliver Brisbane’s biggest park. Protect Victoria Park Barrambin.