Federal government’s major call on Victoria Park heritage protection

A bid to stop construction on Brisbane’s Olympic stadium site in Victoria Park on Indigenous heritage grounds has been rejected by federal Environment Minister Murray Watt.

Five applications for the site have been made under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, requesting the federal government’s assistance in protecting a significant Aboriginal heritage area that is under threat of injury or desecration.

One of the applications was withdrawn.

Watt revealed on Wednesday afternoon he had rejected one of the applications, which centred on drilling and drilling-related infrastructure within the proposed Olympic stadium and National Aquatic Centre site.

“In accordance with federal cultural heritage law, I have decided not to make a declaration under section 9 of the act,” the Queensland-based minister said.

“However, I have instructed my department to appoint an independent facilitator to work with the relevant parties.”

The independent facilitator would support pragmatic options that protected cultural heritage, Watt said.

“The purpose of the dedicated facilitator will be to avoid harm to cultural heritage, and inform any future decisions relating to the specified areas.

“This decision follows consultation with interested parties and acknowledges the area is of particular significance to the Turrbal and Jagera people in accordance with their traditions.”

Watt’s department was still assessing three applications to make declarations under the heritage protection act.

Acting Queensland State Development Minister Ros Bates welcomed the decision.

“New planning legislation introduced last year incorporates engagement and consultation as part of a comprehensive cultural heritage management plan,” she said.

“These laws are working well and enable GIICA to progress the Brisbane Stadium and the wider delivery plan on time and on budget, with appropriate safeguards in place.”

The Save Victoria Park community group insisted their fight was “by no means the end of the road”, with spokeswoman Rosemary O’Hagan pointing out the park’s heritage listing for both First Nations and early European history.

“The Crisafulli government knew this history when deciding to build stadiums in the park. They chose to ignore it,” she said.

“New Olympic state laws introduced by the LNP last year curtailed the rights of First Nations communities in Queensland. The laws truncated consultation timeframes, and removed rights under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act to seek stop work orders or injunctions to protect cultural heritage impacted by Olympic projects.

“Save Victoria Park stands firmly with our First Nations partners in their resolve to protect what is one of our city’s most important indigenous cultural sites.”

The design of the centrepiece stadium for Brisbane 2032 was revealed earlier in January.

O’Hagan said the renders’ “latest tranche of greenwashed computer imagery” was not real.

“What’s real are the ancient trees, rolling hills and native wildlife the government intends to obliterate for what could become one of history’s most environmentally disastrous Olympic Games,” she said.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie described the Save Victoria Park group as “loopy”.

“The Save Victoria Park group are just a bunch of NIMBYs that don’t want anything to happen,” he said.

“They believe this park has been activated for years. It wasn’t. It was a golf course. Before it was a golf course, it was a dump, for goodness’ sake.”

Bleijie said earthwork would begin midyear and the stadium’s planned 63,000-seat capacity could be increased – if it could be delivered within the existing budget.

In September, Arup was announced as the firm behind the master plan for the precinct, which would take in Victoria Park and the nearby RNA Showgrounds.

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