Victoria Park Barrambin & the Olympics: What It Means For Our Community

A community-run information session “Victoria Park and the Olympics: What It Means for Our Community” is being held to help residents better understand the impacts of recent decisions affecting the loss of what has been publicly accessible green space in Brisbane’s inner north-west as it is forecast to become the construction site for the Brisbane Olympic stadium/s and associated other works.

Many in the community do not accept the present outcome.

Purposely apolitical, at this event we are seeking to bring together community members from across the political spectrum, to appreciate the many shortfallings of continuing with the (very expensive) proposal to build a new Olympic stadium in Victoria Park Barrambin.

Queenslanders deserve honesty and transparency and for elected representatives to make good decisions on behalf of the people of Queensland. Proceeding is NOT a good decision. There are so many reasons - economic, social, environmental.

At the community information session, informed people from diverse backgrounds, will share facts and insights into the many reasons why.

The immediate impacts will be felt by residents, students, workers and visitors who utilise inner north-western Brisbane, but the costs will also burden Queenslanders of all generations whose tax-contributions will be diverted to this excessive expenditure for years to come, at the expense of the things that they will actually need, in these changing times, to improve their lives.

It is in all of our interests to question and require justification for the decisions currently being made on our behalf.

Topics to be discussed on Sunday include:

• The processes that led to the ability for 64 hectares of public green space in the Kelvin Grove / Spring Hill area to be converted to freehold, releasing what was held in trust as public parkland for well over 100 years, to no longer be a park.

• How the Victoria Park Master Plan—developed through a multi-year community consultation process—has been set aside

• The lack of transparency around the Olympic site selection process and the cost and civic implications of that decision.

• Anticipated construction issues and cost blowouts that will arise due to resource constraints that will follow the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

• The existing construction capacity constraints and priority conflicts within Queensland's construction sector (including the need for more affordable housing for people of all ages, and especially our younger generations).

• Loss of amenity, recreational space and community wellbeing for users of the inner-north-western suburbs resulting from the loss of 64 hectares of public parklands/green space, including around 4,000 trees (some more than 200 years old) and the popular Victoria Park function centres and golf driving range.

• Recognition that the entirety of Victoria Park Barrambin is spiritually ‘living country’ and deserves custodianship as one Brisbane’s most important First Nations cultural sites, and instead of being destroyed, could be preserved and celebrated for the cultural values it can share with visitors to the Brisbane Olympics and locals alike.

• The disruption expected for nearby residents and institutions—including schools, hospitals, and local services—as the area becomes a major construction site over the next six years, and during use, beyond 2032.

• Ideas for how a more innovative Olympics approach, could yield better results for Queenslanders.

Information will be available for those interested in connecting with groups and organisations working to achieve better community outcomes from Brisbane’s Olympic planning and investment.

Community members are warmly invited to join us for afternoon tea and discussion.

Attendance is free, however please RSVP (via this Humanitix page) to help us with our catering.

Find out more about community concerns around the development of Victoria Park Barrambin at:

www.savevictoriapark.com

www.gameswatchdog2032.au

www.qldresponsiblegov.org

www.instagram.com/patches.of.hope

To make a donation to the Save Victoria Park campaign - https://www.savevictoriapark.com/donate (note choose option 3 to make a tax-deductible donation)