Victoria Park was chosen as the site for a new Olympic stadium. Now it has become a battleground for memory, history, and cultural heritage. The Yagara people are taking legal action to stop construction of a new stad ium on land that holds deep significance for them.

Dispute over heart of Brisbane

In March 2024, the Queensland government announced plans to build a new 63,000-seat Olympic stadium in Victoria Park—a 60-hectare green space in the centre of Brisbane. The $2.5 billion project, federally funded, was set to be the main venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. After the Games, it would serve as the home ground for cricket and the Brisbane Lions AFL team.

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Meanwhile, for many residents of Queensland—both Indigenous and non-Indigenous—Victoria Park is much more than just a piece of land in the city centre. For the Yagara people, it is a place of great historical, spiritual, and cultural importance. That’s why the local community, represented by the Yagara Magandjin Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC), has submitted an official request to the federal environment minister seeking legal protection for the site.© Archipelago

"It was a complete shock"

The government’s U-turn on the stadium sparked widespread backlash. The original plan involved rebuilding the ageing The Gabba. But after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stepped down and an investment review was conducted, the decision was made to shift the project to Victoria Park.

David Crisafulli, the new Premier from the Liberal National Party (LNP), had also promised no new Olympic stadiums before the election. In March 2025, he admitted breaking that promise, saying the choice had been between Victoria Park and a temporary, less suitable facility in the south of Brisbane.

It was a complete shock when the premier came out with his stadium plans, said Gaja Kerry Charlton, a Yagarabul elder and YMAC spokesperson. He said the park would be protected from stadiums; I thought the park was safe. Now the government wants to destroy it.

History that can’t be rebuilt

Victoria Park, known in the Indigenous language as Barrambin, was for decades one of the most important urban areas inhabited by Aboriginal people in central Brisbane. As historian Ray Kerkhove recalls, it served as a camp for around 1,500 people and was the site of at least one massacre. It is also located on a songline - spiritual routes in the landscape tied to Aboriginal myths and legends.

From 1931, the area was used as a golf course. In 2020, the Brisbane city council unveiled a four-year plan to restore it as a public park. Local Indigenous elders were involved in wide-ranging community consultations. However, that plan was ultimately rejected. In May 2025, the Queensland parliament passed legislation exempting Olympic-related developments from many planning laws, including the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act. The new law also prevents these decisions from being legally challenged.

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"This might be our last chance"

In response, YMAC filed a request for permanent protection of Victoria Park under Section 10 of the federal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act. A federal government spokesperson confirmed the application had been received and is being reviewed under standard procedures. The decision will be made by environment minister Murray Watt.

Charlton expressed deep concern over the potential loss of the area: We are very concerned there are ancient trees, artefacts and very important ecosystems existing there. There may be ancestral remains. We stand resolute in our responsibility to protect it.

Her concerns are echoed by elder Uncle Steven Yagara: Once Victoria Park is gone, it’s gone forever. Will photos be our only memory? Are we going to have to say to our children, our grandchildren: ‘this is what your grandparents experienced, but it’s not here for you any more’?

The stadium will go ahead

Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner told the Brisbane Times that there is strong support for the stadium. Ultimately, this is going to happen, and added: No doubt there will be attempts to thwart the project and slow it down.