Dozens of eminent Queenslanders, including many recognised by the Australian Honours system for their contributions to our society, have today sent Premier David Crisafulli an open letter warning him that any destruction of heritage-listed Victoria Park-Barrambin in the name of the Olympics would embarrass Brisbane on the world stage.

Signatories to the letter, including renowned playwright and proud Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch AO, former premier Campbell Newman AO, prominent historian Emeritus Professor Kay Saunders AO, Yuggera elder Aunty Deb Sandy, and the former Curator-in-Charge, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Ross McKinnon AM, among others, have made clear their strong opposition to sacrificing the historic park to stadium development.

“These are people, highly respected in their fields, who have spent their lives working to shape Brisbane into a city of which we can all be proud,” said Sue Bremner, spokesperson for advocacy group Save Victoria Park.

“We urge the Premier to listen to the experts, to the community, to our First Nations custodians. We ask him to honour his election promise of no stadium in Victoria Park and to commit to a sustainable Games that delivers a positive legacy for us all.

“Do we really want to be known as the city that concretes over its historic parkland for a mega stadium? We should be protecting our green spaces, not destroying them in the name of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We also take this opportunity to reiterate that our movement is not opposed to the Olympics. We hope the 2032 Games are a success and that it does have beneficial outcomes for our state and city.

“But we are also shocked this global event is being used by some as an excuse to override years of community consultation by Brisbane City Council for a Master Plan for Victoria Park and drastically upend broadly supported aspirations for the park.

“Vested interest driven decision-making that excludes any meaningful input from the public will never result in positive outcomes.

“Save Victoria Park will use every means possible to fight short-sighted plans to destroy this invaluable piece of green infrastructure, and ensure it is protected for generations to come.”

More info: http://www.savevictoriapark.com/