Qld government reveals successful tenderer for $1.4b Brisbane Arena

Construction of Brisbane's new entertainment and housing precinct is set to begin in January, with the state government selecting a private sector building partner.Deputy premier Jarrod Bleijie announced this morning construction consortium Gather Brisbane had been chosen as the successful tenderer for the $1.4 billion Brisbane Arena in Woolloongabba.The consortium includes Live Nation, Oak View Group, Plenary and Webuild, and beat out the Brisbane Entertainment Alliance consortium for the deal.The Brisbane Arena is planned to have a 17,000-seat capacity, increasing to 18,700 for concerts.The Brisbane Arena will be adjacent to the new Cross River Rail station and have capacity for up to 18,700 people. (Supplied)The arena is intended to replace the Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall in Brisbane's north and will be adjacent to the new Woolloongabba Cross River Rail station.Mr Bleijie said the Gabba stadium nearby would be decommissioned following the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, giving way to "open public space" and almost 4,000 new homes.He said the government had committed a one-off $600 million contribution to the project's projected cost of $1.4 billion, to be delivered following its completion, which is expected in 2031."To get the acts to come to Queensland, to get the sporting events, to get the music events, the concerts to come to Queensland, you need a venue that rivals the rest of the venues around the world," he said."Entertainment lovers will love it, public transport users will be able to access the Cross River Rail here once it opens and I can say confidently … we look to be on-site in January."Jarrod Bleijie says work on the new arena is expected to begin in January. (ABC News: Josh McIntosh)He said the state would continue to own the land in a long-term commercial arrangement with the arena operator."This is a 40-year deal and the maintenance [and] the obligations to maintain the arena will be [on] the consortia and the operator," Mr Bleijie said."There will be a commercial arrangement going forward with the operators, but as I said, it's over 40 years."That will be locked in before the end of the year, before construction starts on the new arena in January."Brisbane live music stalwarts Lisa and Jess Origliasso — also known as The Veronicas — backed the new arena and said it would be an "incredible opportunity"."We look around Brisbane and, you know, we have so many memories here — every part of our career has a sentimental attachment to different parts of Brisbane," Jess Origliasso said."That is why this is so fantastic — I think this is a dream coming true," Lisa Origliasso said.The Veronicas described the new area as a "dream coming true". (ABC News: Josh McIntosh)Developers to be handed Gabba landMr Bleijie insisted the government was "not giving away the land" on which the Gabba stands."This is a very complicated commercial transaction," he said."Part of the process for getting the consortia to design, finance, and operate [the arena] without any government contribution until at least 2031, is to obviously have the ability that they know the investment [is] going forward.The land the Gabba Stadium stands on will be handed to developers with plans to construct almost 4,000 new homes after 2032. (Supplied)"We're not giving away the land, it's a commercial transaction and the commercial transaction that we've entered into is over a 40-year period." He said the state government would be responsible for tearing down the Gabba after the 2032 Games, before handing the land to the consortium."The previous government had no plans to unlock this site," he said."In contrast, this government does, and we are very happy to partner with the private sector to get things done."