Whateley
Brisbane's Olympic stadium begins construction | The Wisdom & Experience of Robert Craddock (01.06.26)
01 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of Brisbane's Olympic stadium construction?
Now, back to Waitley.
This really is that signature project. It really is that centrepiece and people just want us to get on with it. We've released the plan and I want Queenslanders to know when the eyes of the world are on us, we're going to get this right, not just for the event, but for generational infrastructure. always respect people's right to have a different point of view. That's healthy in a democracy.
But from today, it's a construction site. So it wouldn't be safe for protesters to be there, nor for the workers who have to get on and build it. We set a window of $7.1 billion, and we've been well supported by the federal government in helping to fund that.
The Queensland Premier, David Crissifulli, who's been walking with a shovel over his shoulder.
Chapter 2: How will the construction of the stadium impact local protests?
Today's the day construction on the Olympic Stadium begins at Victoria Park. So Robert Craddock is in Brisbane. Hello to you, Crash. G'day, Gerard.
Yes, it's all about one kilometre from where... I'm looking through the windows out there thinking that in six years' time, it'll be about a month away from the Games. Has Brisbane got time? Have they got time? I mean, you want that stadium in a year before the Games. I'm telling you, there's so many things can go wrong.
Chapter 3: What challenges does Brisbane face in meeting the Olympic deadline?
You want test events and everything. And I'm not saying they're out of time, Gerard, but I will say this, the clock is ticking fast.
So protesting had to essentially be removed to turn this into a construction site from today. So there has been angst around it.
Oh, very much so. There was a couple of hundreds of protesters set up at basically a tent city there over the weekend, and there was a lot of action, and they will run into more of that. Chris Ofuli today said, you know, it is now a construction site, it is illegal to protest, but there's so many things that can slow down construction. I mean, I've got a friend who's an apprentice.
And he said to me already he's heard union meetings in his trade where, oh, gee, we're going to have some fun with the Olympics, you know, just stop works and things like that. So it's the new stadium.
Chapter 4: What role did the Brisbane Lions play in the stadium's development?
And one thing I've got to salute is the role that the Brisbane Lions, we had Chris Fagan pop into work. I had to interview him last week. And I said, your biggest legacy is when David Christopher, the Premier, said 50 times, we are not building a new stadium, okay? We're not building an Olympic stadium. And the Lions just kept plugging away with cricket and knocking on their door.
But they had to produce something special two seasons ago to get noticed. They won the premiership. And, Gerard, I'm quite convinced... If the Brisbane Lions had finished outside the eight two years ago, we wouldn't be having their discussion, this discussion.
Chapter 5: How does the construction of the stadium affect Queensland's infrastructure?
There would be no new stadium. That's how close it was.
Yeah. Yeah. Well, that is a big legacy to have created.