The Brisbane 2032 delivery authority has not ruled out revealing the unsuccessful designs for the state’s $3.8bn Victoria Park Stadium — but it will not be until after the full procurement processes are completed for all 17 venues.
On Wednesday, it was revealed an application for the designs by The Courier-Mail under Right to Information laws was rejected by the Games Independent Infrastructure and Co-ordination Authority because it was would be “contrary to the public interest”.
The release of designs could also create disruptive public debate, GIICA claimed.
The authority on Thursday defended its corporate services executive general manager Nick Elliott’s decision to keep the unsuccessful designs a secret.
A GIICA spokesman said it was committed to transparency but it also had to protect the integrity of active procurement processes and respect commercial-in-confidence obligations.
The door was left open for the designs and identities of the unsuccessful short-listed consortiums to be revealed publicly after the construction procurement processes were completed for all 17 venues.
“The unsuccessful Brisbane Stadium designs were submitted as part of a competitive procurement process, and with procurement activities continuing across 17 Games venues, releasing those designs would not be appropriate,” a GIICA spokesman said.
“GIICA will continue to consider opportunities to share further information with the community as procurement activities progress and where doing so does not compromise commercial sensitivities, procurement integrity or the interests of participants.”
Acting Premier and Infrastructure Minister Jarrod Bleijie supported GIICA’s decision not to release the alternative stadium designs — a move done independently of his department.
“There are serious procurement processes underway at the moment, and … we’re not going to do anything that will jeopardise the independence of the procurement process,” he said.
“You are dealing with billions of dollars here, and we owe it to the companies. and afford it to the companies that are involved in those procurement processes, for the integrity and sustainability of the procurement processes.
“That’s why GIICA have made the decision they did, independently of me.”
Mr Bleijie claimed the intellectual property of the designs were not owned by the state government.
He also claimed businesses might not want their designs out there for others to see.
It is understood the unsuccessful bidders were not consulted about the decision to release their designs or not during the RTI process.
Major construction firms BESIX Watpac and Built are competing for the rights to build the 2032 centrepiece in collaboration with the COX Architecture and Hassell design team.