Image: Brisbane Design Alliance

It was announced in August 2024 that a global consortium of architects and planners has proposed a $6 billion stadium to be built on the Brisbane River at Hamilton. This is an ambitious project for a main stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics that has been designed to be a showpiece stadium.  The funding details have not been fully disclosed, but it is understood that the proposal will be funded mostly by the private sector.

This announcement comes nearly two years after ABC reported that the Hamilton precinct from the river to the old Gateway motorway was being set aside as an Olympic Athlete Village and what would become Southbank 2.0.

It is understood that the new stadium proposal also includes an athletes village for the Olympics and obviously a lot of big decisions need to be made by the government and private sector before this goes ahead.

Key points about the Hamilton area

• In considering these projects it seems clear that the mostly vacant industrial land on the Brisbane river at Hamilton will be used extensively for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. Much of this land is held privately and we are sure that the owners of that land are interested in what it means for them.
• In short, it appears that this area is going to be subject to a number of government resumptions over the time period coming up to the 2032 Olympic Games (and probably beyond as we imagine that it will take time to develop the whole area that has been earmarked for South Bank 2.0).

What can we learn from the Expo ’88 land buyouts?

To understand what might happen, it’s worth looking back at similar projects.

The last big resumption project like this for a major event was when the State Government acquired the land for what has become South Bank on the Brisbane River. Residents of Brisbane at the time will recall that before it was South Bank, that site of Brisbane was the site for “Expo ’88,” which was the second big event to be held in Brisbane after the 1984 Commonwealth Games.

Key takeaways from the Expo ’88 land acquisition:

• The Queensland State Government passed the Expo ’88 Act 1984, creating the “Brisbane Exposition and South Bank Redevelopment Authority.”
• This authority was responsible for acquiring land for Expo ’88 using powers from the Acquisition of Land Act.
• Most of the land was acquired by agreement but in some cases the property owners and the government could not agree to a price for the property.
• This meant that if the property was worth $100,000.00 it is understood that the State Government would pay an extra $25,000.00 for the land. This bonus is not included in most resumptions and appears to have been something that was introduced just for this project.

What’s next for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Stadium?

As of now, it’s impossible to say exactly what will happen regarding land acquisition for the new stadium. However, a decision will need to be made soon, and the process started. The consortium behind the proposed stadium has stated that the development needs to start by 2026 at the latest.

With an election coming up at the end of 2024, it is understood from the public statements by leaders of the main parties that no decision will be made —aside from the current government’s much-criticised choice to use existing stadiums in Brisbane rather than building a new one

Time will tell what the final decision will be regarding the Brisbane 2032 main Olympic stadium, but it’s clear from current announcements that the Hamilton area will play a significant role, whether as an athlete’s village, a main stadium, or both. Property owners in the area should keep themselves up to date with any changes and announcements that may happen.