Olympic stadium work underway as premier warns off protesters

Premier says Victoria Park protesters shouldn't 'get between bulldozers' as work begins Mon 1 Jun 2026 at 10:33am In short: Work has begun on Brisbane's 63,000-seat Olympic stadium ahead of the 2032 games. The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took over ownership of the land at midnight. It’s after days of protest, with five arrested at a protest camp last week. Work is beginning at the Victoria Park site of Brisbane's Olympics stadium, with the state's premier saying those opposed are free to express their views, but not between "excavators and bulldozers". The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took over ownership of the land from the Brisbane City Council at midnight to allow for early works to begin on the $3.6 billion stadium. On Monday, Premier David Crisafulli held a press conference alongside representatives from the Brisbane Lions and Cricket Australia to celebrate the milestone for the 63,000-seat venue, which will also be home to AFL and cricket. "We are going to create a world-class green space, bookended by a world-class stadium for a world-class event for a state on the rise," he said. It comes after days of protests against the stadium, including on Sunday that saw hundreds of people gather, with Save Victoria Park calling for the parklands and green space to be preserved. Indigenous groups have said the site is of deep cultural significance and they fear the loss of sacred springs and trees if construction goes ahead. The last protesters were removed in the early hours of Monday morning. Police said no charges or arrests were made as the activists were moved on. Five arrested at protest camp On Friday, five people were arrested after police and council workers entered a camp opposing the stadium. When asked about the scenes on Friday, Mr Crisafulli said it would be a safety issue if people were protesting in the middle of a construction site. "I'd say the vast majority of Queenslanders want us to get on with it," he said. "That doesn't mean that people can't express a different point of view they just can't express it in between excavators and bulldozers." Mr Crisafulli said two-thirds of the project would be green space and would be free to access. The federal environment minister's department is considering five applications for declarations to protect an area of the park under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. On Sunday, federal Environment Minister Murray Watt rejected two cultural heritage protection applications relating to the early works as he was "unable to be satisfied that either application met the statutory requirements for a declaration ". When asked when the stadium would be finished, GIICA chief executive Simon Crooks said they were working towards a year before the Games. "We set quite a tight target to finish early because you don't have any time for mistakes," he said. Mr Crooks said work would now start on decommissioning the site and testing before earth works begin "shortly afterwards".