Proposed Plans For Brisbane Live Arena To Be Scrapped

The long-awaited plans for Brisbane Live Arena are set to be scrapped.

In a new report, 9 News has revealed that the venue, tentatively named Brisbane Live Arena, is on the “chopping block” to reportedly help pay for a 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium in Victoria Park, which The Music reported on last week.

The state government plans to reportedly halt plans for the arena venue and instead announce the building of a new aquatic centre to host the swimming at the Olympics.

Talks of Brisbane Arena began in 2016, years before the state government and local councils started considering the city for hosting the 2032 Olympic Games. The talks were led by Harvey Lister’s AEG Ogden, which now exists as part of ASM Global.

Brisbane Live Arena was mentioned in the city’s 100-day review of venues for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games, with the recommendation to move it to Woolloongabba and host the swimming with a “drop-in pool.”

The plan for the space then changed to make it a live music venue, offering punters a new, inner-city space to host more large-scale rock and pop acts, such as Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo—both of whom recently only toured in Melbourne and Sydney.

According to the 9 News report, plans to scrap the Brisbane Live Arena are set to be approved by Cabinet today before the news is officially announced on Tuesday.

However, according to the report, the federal government’s $2.5 million in funding for Brisbane Live Arena could change things and possibly save the venue.

In 2021, the federal government agreed to allocate $2.5 billion to fund the building of the arena.

Last week, it was reported that the Queensland government was considering the proposals for a 60,000-capacity indoor stadium for Brisbane.

Set to be the centrepiece of the city’s 2032 Olympic Games, the venue capacity significantly increased from Brisbane Live Arena’s promised 17,000 seats.