Australia has lost just 1 Test match in the last 34 years of Tests played at the Gabba. So we face a risk to our impressive home Test cricket record when the Gabba is demolished to make way for a new Olympic Stadium in the next few years.
To fill the gap some have suggested that a new cricket stadium should be built in Brisbane to host Test matches for the 4 years that cricket won’t have a Brisbane home.
How much more does Brisbane deserve to get from the Olympics? Already the Queensland and Federal Governments are investing $7 billion on new Olympics related infrastructure.
Instead of building a new stadium in Brisbane, which will presumably just play second fiddle to the Gabba once it is rebuilt, why don’t we build a new stadium in regional Queensland. A regional Queensland venue would deliver a legacy for the games which would give us an alternative city to host future cricket and AFL matches of all types.
We already have a world class cricket ground which can step up. When the LNP were last in government we invested $10 million to upgrade the Great Barriers Reef Arena at Harrup Park in Mackay.
In recent months Mackay has hosted international cricket (including a pink ball day night match), a 4-day Sheffield Shield match earlier this month and an AFL Women’s Gold Coast Suns game this week.
Cricket Australia now rates the Great Barrier Reef Arena as the best cricket ground in regional Queensland.
So this week I joined Andrew Wilcox to start a campaign to bring Queensland’s test match to North Queensland. With minimal investment regional Queensland would get a world class oval shaped stadium. And, we would promote our wonderful Great Barrier Reef to the world and grow our tourism industry. Just imagine how sunburnt the Barmy Army would be after spending a few days at the Whitsundays before or after the Ashes.
Ever since winning the 2032 Brisbane Olympics Games, the Queensland Government has claimed that the games will benefit all of Queensland, not just the south-eastern corner.
The Government and our sporting bodies need to make sure that promise is kept.
Regional Queensland stepped up in 2021 hosting a sell-out NRL game in Rockhampton, and two sold-out games in Mackay in the 2021 season. These successes gave us the chance to show that while we might not have the biggest venues, we have what it takes to put on a good show for those that want to see their teams play.
The state government has committed to venues for the Olympics in both Townsville and Cairns but if it’s truly going to benefit the whole state the area between the Sunshine Coast and Townsville should be seeing some of that benefit.
While I haven’t seen a game at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, their groundskeeper was previously the 2IC at the Gabba. I reckon their pitch would be as lively and bouncy on the first day as the Gabba creating as just as many challenges for the Poms or the Kiwis.
That should keep Australia’s stellar record in Queensland test matches as strong as it has always been.
