Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House the government has proposed a $2.7 billion rebuild of the Gabba Stadium, so the Gabba can host athletics for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The government has proposed nearby Raymond Park be turned into a warm-up track, and East Brisbane State School closed. 

Raymond Park is home to a soccer club, playground, basketball court, exercise area, community garden, cricket pitch, dog park, old trees, and is surrounded by family homes. It constitutes nearly half of all parkland in Kangaroo Point and is busy every day of the week. It is a low-lying area that absorbs rainwater. For people in apartments, Raymond Park is their backyard, and where they teach their kids to kick a ball or ride a bike. 

A standard athletics track cannot fit in the park - the government will have to bulldoze family homes, clear everything in the park, and dig deep foundations for a track, grandstand, parking and other facilities, which will be ripped up after the Games. Rainwater will be pushed into surrounding areas, creating flood risk. Family homes and established trees cannot be replaced once they are removed. 

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all in its power to:

• Protect Raymond Park and East Brisbane State School

• Scrap the $2.7 billion Gabba redevelopment

• Move athletics to Carrara Stadium, as the International Olympics Committee have suggested

• Give the Gabba accessibility upgrades to host the opening and closing ceremonies.