Article
Duigan Confirms AFL Exit from Gold Coast Stadium Deal
Nick Duigan MLC Minister for Sport responding to Cassy O’Connor MLC about the Gold Coast Stadium deal 3 December
Just 24 hours after Tasmanian Times broke the story that the AFL was walking away from its management rights at the Gold Coast’s People First Stadium, the Tasmanian Government has officially confirmed the deal is ending.
Despite social media commentators dismissing our report as “fake news,” Minister for Sport Nick Duigan MLC verified the termination of the agreement in the Legislative Council today.
While the Minister offered a different rationale for the split—citing Olympic preparations rather than financial failure—his admission confirms the core revelation of our whistleblower – the AFL is handing the keys back to the state.
The information provided to Tasmanian Times on Friday 28 November was that the media message the two parties would concoct was that the stadium was being taken back because of the upcoming Olympic Games in Queensland.
On Tuesday, when first questioned by Greens Member for Hobart Cassy O’Connor, Duigan claimed to be “not aware” of the report or any implications for Tasmania.
However, returning to the chamber on Wednesday, the Minister provided a prepared statement after seeking urgent advice from Stadiums Tasmania and the AFL.
“I understand Stadiums Queensland approached the AFL to take back management rights in the lead up to the Brisbane Olympics as the venue needs significant refurbishment ahead of the Olympics.” Duigan told the Legislative Council.
“Stadium’s Queensland believes it is best placed to undertake these works and very keen to ensure they have consistent management of Queensland stadia infrastructure ahead of the Brisbane Olympics… I’m advised that this has nothing to do with revenue yield from AFL games at the venue.”
The “Olympic Spin” vs Reality
While the Government has eagerly adopted the AFL’s “Olympic preparation” narrative, the timeline raises serious questions about the validity of this excuse.
The Brisbane Olympics are not until July 2032—nearly seven years away.
To suggest that management rights must be surrendered now for a refurbishment program that is likely years from commencing requires a significant suspension of disbelief.
It is highly unusual for a venue operator to be removed seven years prior to an event, particularly when the AFL would presumably still be the primary tenant during the intervening seasons.
The timing of this “mutual agreement”—occurring precisely as the Gold Coast Suns face continued financial scrutiny and just days before the Tasmanian Parliament votes on a new stadium—remains suspicious.
Perhaps the most telling aspect of this saga is the silence that preceded it.
Until Tasmanian Times published the whistleblower’s allegations on Tuesday, neither the AFL, the Gold Coast Suns, nor the Queensland Government had made any public indication that this major management shake-up was occurring. And when the AFL and Stadiums were approached with the allegations and given three days to respond, confirm or deny – no response was forthcoming to emails or phone calls from Tasmanian Times.
The executives involved in the deal are Matthew Chun and Scott Fitzgerald for the AFL, and Patrick Oxley and Martin Unicomb for Stadiums Queensland. They were each emailed along with AFL media.
If this were truly a routine administrative handover to facilitate Olympic works, why was it not announced?
The secrecy strongly supports our source’s claim that the AFL was desperate to keep this quiet until after the Tasmanian vote, fearing that “abandoning a stadium management deal in Queensland” would undermine their demand for the Tasmanian Government to build them a new asset in Hobart.
Vindication and Warning
For the Members of the Legislative Council about to cast their vote on the Macquarie Point precinct, the Minister’s answer should serve as a final red flag.
Whether the reason is “revenue failure” (as our source claims and further research into the average home game attendance in the past three years – has been 13,733, 15,063 and 15,679 – in a stadium with a capacity of 27,500), or “Olympic works” (as the AFL claims), the outcome is identical –
The AFL is no longer managing the stadium.
The risk has been transferred back to the taxpayer.
In Queensland, the State is taking back the burden of an existing stadium seven years before the Olympics. In Tasmania, the Parliament is being asked to sign a deal where the State carries that burden from day one, for a stadium the AFL refuses to manage at all.
As the member for Hobart, Cassy O’Connor noted in her questioning, if the model is “not financially viable for them” in a market of 700,000 people, the Tasmanian Parliament must ask why they are rushing to sign up for it here.
FACT CHECK – The “Olympic Works” Excuse
The Minister’s Claim:
Minister Duigan stated that Stadiums Queensland is taking back control of the Gold Coast stadium now (December 2025) to “undertake significant refurbishment” ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
The Reality:
Standard industry timelines for Olympic handovers make this explanation highly improbable.
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Timeline Discrepancy – The Brisbane Olympics are 7 years away (July 2032). The “Exclusive Use Period”—where an Olympic Organising Committee takes full control of a venue—typically begins only 3 to 6 months before the Opening Ceremony, not 80 months.
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Construction vs Management – It is standard practice for major renovations to occur while a tenant (like the AFL) retains management rights. For example, the MCG has undergone massive redevelopments (Northern Stand, etc.) without the Melbourne Cricket Club surrendering its management lease to the government.
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The Scope of Works – The Gold Coast venue is designated as an existing venue requiring upgrades, not a total demolition-and-rebuild (unlike the Gabba or the proposed Victoria Park stadium). There is no operational reason to evict the manager seven years early for refurbishment works that likely won’t start until 2027 or 2028.
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Inconsistent Application – If this were a state-wide policy for Olympic preparations, the Brisbane Lions would also be surrendering their rights at their training bases or home venues immediately. There is no evidence this is happening elsewhere.
Verdict:
The “Olympic” excuse appears to be a convenient cover story.
The timeline (7 years early) has no precedent in modern Olympic planning and contradicts standard venue management practices.
Transcript from Hansard 2 December 2025
AFL and Stadiums Queensland Arrangement
Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for SPORT and EVENTS Mr DUIGAN
[2.34 p.m.]
Is the minister aware that the AFL is considering walking, if indeed it has not already
walked, away from its arrangement over the Gold Coast Stadium, a stadium that is a venue of
a 27,000 seat capacity, servicing a population of about 700,000?
There’s a story on Tasmanian Times which says the AFL is handing the keys back to
Stadiums Queensland after failing to generate anticipated revenue from the venue. So, there
has been a management deal with the AFL over the stadium in the Gold Coast which has
collapsed. Are you aware of this development, and do you see that it has some implications for
the viability of the stadium you and your government are so shamelessly promoting?
ANSWER
Mr President, I might just seek some advice. I’m not aware of the article about which you
speak, nor any implications relevant to Tasmania.
Requesting of Information into the AFL Stadium Deal
Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for SPORT and EVENTS, Mr DUIGAN –
[2.36 p.m.]
Will you avail yourself of some of the information so that you have the necessary
information at your disposal to understand about the viability of these large stadia where we’ve
even got the AFL itself walking away from management of the stadium because it is not
financially viable for them. Would you avail yourself of that information?
ANSWER
Mr President, thank you. Yes
Transcript from Broadcast 3 December 2025, as Hansard is not yet available at the time of publication of this article.
Minister Duigan MLC
Just coming back to the member for Hobart regarding a question yesterday about the Gold Coast stadium, and I understand stadiums Queensland approached the AFL to take back management rights in the lead up to the Brisbane Olympics as the venue needs significant refurbishment ahead of the Olympics. Stadium’s Queensland believes it is best placed to undertake these works and very keen to ensure they have consistent management of Queensland stadia infrastructure ahead of the Brisbane Olympics.
All other main major Queensland stadia are managed by stadiums in Queensland, and so I’m advised that this has nothing to do with revenue yield from AFL games at the venue. It is about capital works leading into the Olympic Games, and I have sought that advice from stadiums TAS who have I believe been in contact with the AFL.
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