Although I wasn’t invited to shake hands with Hitler, I wasn’t invited to the White House to shake hands with the President either – Jesse Owens
Where support for racist apartheid was strongest in Australia — in Queensland — the resistance was strongest too. History is made not by those who stand aside, but by those prepared to take a stand.
There have been no public statements about the proposed 2032 Olympic stadium from a number of major public institutions situated immediately adjacent to the site in Barrambin.
These include the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, the largest public hospital in Australia; the University of Queensland’s Medical School at Herston, which stands beside both the proposed stadium site and the hospital; Brisbane Grammar School at the western end of Victoria Park; Brisbane Girls Grammar School overlooking the parklands; and St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace, whose historical sporting grounds once occupied part of the area.
Nor have there been public statements from the University of Queensland or the Queensland University of Technology, despite both institutions having campuses immediately adjacent to the proposed Olympic precinct.
The silence of public institutions is striking.
The proposed stadium will have profound implications for traffic, public transport, emergency access, construction impacts, heritage values, open space, and the future character of the Herston–Spring Hill precinct. These are matters of direct concern not only to students and staff, but to the wider public.
Public institutions have a responsibility to contribute openly to public debate on projects of this scale. Yet the elites remain silent. Why?
The public is entitled to know what concerns, if any, have been raised by the hospital, the universities and the schools most directly affected by the development.
To date, that public discussion appears to be absent despite leadership being provided by traditional owners driven off that land by settlers in the 19th century.
There is no publicly available evidence that Toowoomba real estate Tycoon, Clive Berghofer, stands to gain financially from the construction of the Olympic stadium.
However, neither Clive Berghofer nor management at QIMR Berghofer appear to have made any public statement about the advantages or disadvantages of locating a 63,000-seat Olympic stadium immediately adjacent to one of Australia’s leading medical research institutes.
Construction chaos
Truth is, the 2032 Olympic dream has converted all of Brisbane Magan-djin into a construction site. For some years now and for the foreseeable future, this chaotic, as hoc and unplanned construction detracts from the livability of this River City.
Politics in Sport
There is no coincidence that elites stand back from the fray. I remember in July 1971, when the South African Springbok rugby tour came to Brisbane in support of apartheid South Africa. The elites stood back then, too. Although many claimed to oppose the racist regime in South Africa, few were prepared to take a public stand against the tour.
Instead, it was left to students and staff at the University of Queensland, together with Brisbane’s trade unions, to organise the resistance. One of the largest demonstrations took place in Victoria Park, immediately adjacent to the Brisbane Exhibition Grounds where the match was being played.
“With the oval at the Exhibition Grounds ringed by barbed wire, protesters decided instead to launch a demonstration in nearby Victoria Park. About 2,000…” – Radical Times Archive.
That struggle became part of Australia’s broader resistance to apartheid. I do not make this claim lightly. Where apartheid’s supporters were strongest in Australia — in Queensland — the resistance was also strongest.
There is one notable exception, that being the former Premier Campbell-Newman who led his party to the disastrous defeat after sacking 14,000 public servants. Campbell-Newman is the only member of this elite who has publicly criticised the stadium in Victoria Park.
More glaring still is the complete absence of Queensland Council of Unions in this debate. In July 197, unions were most active.
” The Ruby test match was played at the Exhibition Grounds because BWIU unionists black banned essential plumbing works at the better equipped and more desirable Ballymore rugby ground.
The BWIU also halted the production of police batons and the AMIEU stopped the transport of police horses to the demonstration.” – Radical Times.
So where is the Queensland Council of Unions in this debate!
Or are there Project Agreements, Enterprise Bargaining Agreements, or Industrial Framework Agreements being negotiated behind the scenes between the successful contractor and the QCU. What about the affiliates? What about unions such as the CFMEU, ETU, AMWU and the Plumbers?
If deals are being made, how ironic because it was the construction unions that opposed racist apartheid and put bans on government attempts to have the game located at the best playing fields and stopped the production of police batons and deployment of horses to attack the demonstrators.
Ian Curr
3 June 2026
Reference
Radical Times
Coverage of the peaceful, anti-apathied march from Victoria Park to Brisbane city on Saturday 24th July 1971.
The demonstration was organised by the ALP and led by Labor Senator, George Georges (also with Labor MP, Bill Hayden in attendance).
About 2,000 people marched through Fortitude Valley and staged a rare sit-down in Queen Street.
The march continued to the Tower Mill Motel where demonstrators stood face to face with a wall of police (11′ 08″).