Brisbane Lord Mayor resigns from 2032 Olympic Games committee

Brisbane’s Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has resigned from the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games Intergovernmental Leaders’ Forum, describing it as a “pointless talkfest.”

The forum is made up of different representatives from all levels of government as well as Games partners.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said back in March that the forum would work alongside the state government to “progress the significant venues, villages and transport infrastructure” for the 2032 Games.

But Schrinner said that the forum was only being used to “placate key stakeholders while all the real decisions were made by the state government behind closed doors”.

“The reality is, we always wanted to be team players, the state government wanted to play politics,” Mr Schrinner said.

“We wanted to work together, the state government wanted to work in secret.”

Schrinner also called for the establishment of an independent authority to “fix up the mess the state government has created.”

“Only an independent authority can get these things back on track. We don’t need overpriced stadiums, we need better transport. We don’t need politics being played,” he said.

“This week it became very apparent that the Intergovernmental Leaders’ Forum is a dysfunctional farce.”

The state government has announced this week that the Brisbane Showgrounds would be redeveloped while the Gabba is renovated for the 2032 games, but the state government will only pay a third of the cost.

Part of the state government’s plan involves the council being required to pay $30 million, but Schrinner said he only found out about this through the media.

“The state government’s ham-fisted and foolish attempt to extort Brisbane ratepayers for tens of millions of dollars for a new RNA stadium was the final straw,” Schrinner said.

Mr Schrinner said that “people on the streets” told him they do not support the renovation of the Gabba, which would see East Brisbane State School relocated.