A row has erupted over a temporary home for AFL and cricket in Brisbane, with the Queensland government warned its major project is "not a done deal".
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Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has refused to back a funding plan for a $137 million RNA Showgrounds revamp, accusing the government of mismanagement.
The sports minister on Friday unveiled the plan to renovate the inner-city showgrounds, creating a base for the Brisbane Lions and Queensland Cricket during the Gabba Olympic rebuild.
However, Stirling Hinchliffe said the state government would commit only $47.5 million, with the Brisbane City Council, Lions, cricket and RNA to pay the rest.
Mr Schrinner wasn't happy.
"They decided to knock down the Gabba and they should also provide a temporary venue," he said.
"The government needs to fix the problem that they have created. They are trying to put the cost on to the ratepayers of Brisbane - we won't have it.
"This is not going to happen based on this funding model. This is not a done deal."
Mr Schrinner said the sports minister told him the $2.7 billion Gabba rebuild budget included relocation costs for the Lions and Queensland Cricket.
Under the revamp plans, a 20,000-seat stadium will be built at the showgrounds that will be scaled back to 12,000 after the 2032 Games.
The lord mayor said it made sense to revamp the showgrounds and was happy to discuss a "minor" funding contribution.
"But for the state government ... to expect council to fund the majority of the project ... it is really disorganised planning on the state government's part," he said.
"They seem to be playing political games and they have also hung out the AFL and cricket to dry."
Mr Schrinner claimed to have been kept in the dark, saying the state government told him last week an announcement for a temporary cricket and AFL venue was months away.
He claimed the first he heard about the revamp project was via a "rushed" letter sent by Mr Hinchliffe late Thursday night.
"I expect they had already told the media before they told us - it's just not polite and it's no way to manage a major project," he said.
"This is not the way you enter into a genuine partnership."
Mr Hinchliffe denied he had kept the lord mayor in the dark, accusing Mr Schrinner of the silent treatment.
"The lord mayor has refused to respond to a phone call I made to him yesterday," he said.
"It became clear from the response from his office that there was going to be no further conversation between myself and the lord mayor immediately."
Asked why he had gone ahead with a Friday media conference, Mr Hinchliffe said: "It was important that we shared this information with the other stakeholders and with the community."
He said progress would need to be made soon if the revamp was going to be ready in time.
"We know work needs to be starting next year for the refurbished main arena to be ready for a 2025-26 cricket season," he said.
"But this is the beginning of the negotiations that we need to have.
"So I am very pleased we are able to identify what this project looks like and start working with all the partners on delivering an outcome."
The Lions backed a showgrounds relocation, describing Friday's announcement as a "starting point".
"We will continue dialogue with government and other stakeholders regarding progressing the RNA as quickly as possible to ensure the project can be funded and the club is supported through displacement," Lions CEO Greg Swann said.
Australian Associated Press
