Queensland Government Selects Gather Brisbane Consortium for $1.4 Billion Woolloongabba Arena

The Queensland Government has officially appointed the Gather Brisbane consortium as the successful private-sector partner to design, build, finance, maintain, and operate the $1.4 billion Brisbane Arena in Woolloongabba.

Announced by Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning Jarrod Bleijie, the consortium—comprising Live Nation, Oak View Group, Plenary, and Webuild—defeated the rival Brisbane Entertainment Alliance for the flagship infrastructure contract.

Construction on the venue is scheduled to commence in January 2027, with completion slated for 2031 ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Designed with a 17,000-seat sports capacity that expands to 18,700 for concerts, the new precinct will replace the ageing Brisbane Entertainment Centre at Boondall and connect directly to the Woolloongabba Cross River Rail station.

Under the 40-year public-private commercial transaction, the Queensland Government retains underlying land ownership while committing a capped, one-off $600 million capital contribution payable strictly upon project completion in 2031.

Following the 2032 Games, the state government will fund and execute the demolition of the neighbouring Gabba stadium, transferring the cleared footprint to the consortium to deliver open public spaces and nearly 4,000 residential dwellings.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie emphasised the necessity of securing private capital to deliver world-class sporting and entertainment infrastructure ahead of 2032.

“To get the acts to come to Queensland, to get the sporting events, to get the music events, the concerts to come to Queensland, you need a venue that rivals the rest of the venues around the world.”

 “Entertainment lovers will love it, public transport users will be able to access the Cross River Rail here once it opens and I can say confidently … we look to be on-site in January,” Bleijie said.

Addressing the post-Games transfer of the Gabba footprint, Bleijie defended the structure of the 40-year commercial deal.

“This is a very complicated commercial transaction.”

“Part of the process for getting the consortia to design,finance, and operate [the arena] without any government contribution until at least 2031, is to obviously have the ability that they know the investment [is] going forward.

“We’re not giving away the land, it’s a commercial transaction and the commercial transaction that we’ve entered into is over a 40-year period,” Bleijie said.

Deputy Opposition Leader, Hon. Cameron Dick, welcomed the project’s progression while calling for immediate transparency regarding consumer pricing protections and contract terms.

“I think every Queenslander welcomes that this arena’s going to go ahead, it’s always been part of the Olympics plan.”

“But now Queenslanders are paying $600 million for an arena they’re not even going to own, with no guarantees — until the government releases the contract details — that they’re not going to be the subject of price gouging,” Dick said. 

Commercial Structure and Precinct Development

The multi-decade infrastructure arrangement transfers construction, financing, and lifecycle maintenance risks onto the private consortium:

• Consortium Architecture: Unites global venue operators Oak View Group and Live Nation with infrastructure developers Plenary and Webuild, outbidding the rival Brisbane Entertainment Alliance (Capella Capital, Lendlease, AEG, and Legends Global).
• 40-Year Operating Model: Places full design, financing, maintenance, and commercial operating obligations onto Gather Brisbane across a 40-year concession term, with final contract execution scheduled before year-end.
• Post-2032 Urban Renewal: Unlocks the Gabba stadium site post-Olympics for large-scale mixed-use development, delivering almost 4,000 new homes and public open space alongside the new indoor arena.

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