Crossbenchers have called for the Gabba rebuild to be scrapped, with one politician boldly demanding the 2032 Olympics be abolished entirely.
Debate over whether the stadium should be demolished ahead of the Brisbane Games reignited in Queensland parliament on Wednesday after a notice came out of the blue.
Before question time, Katter Australia Party member Nick Dametto called for the Brisbane Olympics to be cancelled and its allocated $7 billion be reinvested in government services.
The motion was met with laughter among politicians.
Calls for the controversial $2.7 billion Gabba redevelopment to be cancelled were taken more seriously in parliament on Wednesday.
Greens leader Michael Berkman has called on the government to listen to Queenslanders and scrap the plan.
It came just days after powerbrokers including International Olympic Committee vice-president John Coates called for a review committee to find another option.
Former Brisbane lord mayor Graham Quirk is leading a 60-day Olympic infrastructure assessment, with the Gabba rebuild set to top his list.
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Premier Steven Miles said the review would assess the best options moving forward, including the Gabba’s future.
“This is an attempt to get the most common sense outcome,” he said.
The Gabba’s future has been hotly debated since November when the government initially announced the plan to demolish then reconstruct the stadium ahead of the Games.
The stadium would be out of action from 2025 to 2030 under the plan, forcing Brisbane’s AFL and cricket to find a new home.
Opponents have called for the reconstruction to be axed because of escalating costs after the plan’s initial $1 billion price tag blew out to almost three times that estimate.
The Liberal National Party continues to oppose the Gabba rebuild, as do the Greens who have cited the threat the reconstruction poses to the East Brisbane State School, which was first built in 1899.
The government continues to support the Olympics despite the ongoing debate.
“We think the Games will be good for our state. We know that Queensland will deliver the best Olympics ever,” Mr Miles said.
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