Press Statement: Last Minute Olympic Legislation Rammed Through QLD Parliament Raises Fresh Fears for Victoria Park Barrambin

News release: Last minute Olympic legislation rammed through QLD parliament raises fresh fears for Victoria Park Barrambin

Save Victoria Park, 13 February 2026

New Olympic bill amendments rushed through Queensland Parliament last night have raised further concerns about the future of Victoria Park Barrambin, with Brisbane’s historic “green lungs” to be converted into freehold land from 01 June this year.

Already under threat of large-scale stadium construction, the 150-year-old park will now be stripped of crucial safeguards that allow the inner-city green space to be kept in public hands.

“The Crisafulli government has failed to adequately answer questions about whether this new legislation means the park will be further carved up and sold off to the highest bidder,” said Save Victoria Park spokesperson Rosemary O’Hagan.

“Why were these laws passed without notice, under cover of darkness, without referral to a committee for oversight?”

‘Freehold’ means the government is free to sell parcels of the park to the private sector. For 150 years it’s been ‘Trust’ land which could be leased but never sold.

“Last year’s Olympic bill amendments already exempted Games venues from most controls, including planning and environment laws. Why, then, has the government gone a step further, changing the park to freehold?

“The Queensland public, as beneficial owners of this land, have the right to know.”

Clearly, the transfer to freehold does not remove the land's First Nations cultural significance, and it does not override federal law.

The three applications lodged under Section 10 of the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act seeking permanent protection of the park remain active and unresolved.

“Peel away the political rhetoric and it’s clear what these new amendments are actually designed to do,” said Ms O’Hagan.

“This is about removing checks and balances, and abolishing community rights. It’s laying the groundwork for a private development ‘free for all’ in one of Queensland’s oldest and most important heritage green spaces.

“Our fears are not unfounded. The property industry has circled the park for decades. Developers themselves let the cat out of the bag two years ago when they published stadium proposals for Victoria Park, revealing high-rise residential towers on the city-view ridges*. These new laws bring us one step closer to that future.

“And all of this is being done under the guise of a ‘sustainable Olympics’, by a government that promised no new stadiums and transparency.

“The hypocrisy is astounding.”

*See attached renders from private firm Arcadis, submitted to the GIICA 100-day Review

ENDS