Queensland's crossbenchers have united in a rare move, calling on the state government to cap its budget for the 2023 Brisbane Olympics amid soaring housing costs and infrastructure spending.
Greens MP Amy MacMahon, members from Katter's Australia Party, One Nation's Stephen Andrew and independent Sandy Bolton signed a statement calling for a raft of commitments from the government over the event.
Ms MacMahon has underlying concerns over the future of East Brisbane State School in her electorate, with development of the Gabba stadium set to move the historic school elsewhere.
The joint state and federal government funding for the Olympics is slated at $7 billion and the crossbenchers don't want spending to go beyond that.
"Despite our differences on the cross bench we all agree that Queenslanders should be put first, not the two-week Olympic Games," she told reporters at parliament on Tuesday.
"In my community we're also set to lose an active state primary school and an inner city park for a two-week event that the majority of people in our electorates won't be able to afford to go.
"This joint statement today calls on the government to put a hard cap on the budget for the Olympic Games, to have a comprehensive plan to deal with increased house prices that come from the Olympic Games and to scrap the $2.7 billion Gabba rebuild to protect the school."
Signatories are seeking equivalent spending in regions that will not receive any Olympic infrastructure and for any purpose-built athlete accommodation to be transferred to public or community housing after the Games.
They are also want the Olympic and Paralympic Games moved to a more appropriate location, such as Carrara on the Gold Coast.
"That $7 billion could be going to things Queenslander's really need - housing, health care, education," Ms MacMahon said.
Robbie Katter labelled the $7 billion funding a "vortex" that would suck available resources, labour and infrastructure exclusively to the state's southeast.
"When we need to build that new bridge or road, there's just no capacity to do it in the future," he said.
"We're a little bit sick of asking for renal units in our towns, CT scanners and being told there's no money for it, when they can find money for brand new stadiums."
Premier and Olympics Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk has been contacted for comment.
