Brisbane begins work on the 2032 Olympics main stadium at Victoria Park after protesters moved

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Protesters have been moved along and excavation machinery has been moved in as work on the main stadium for the 2032 Olympics got under way Monday, almost five years after Brisbane was awarded rights to the Summer Games.

The Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority took ownership of the inner city Victoria Park site from the Brisbane City Council at midnight, and temporary perimeter fencing was erected ahead of construction on the 3.6 billion Australian dollar ($2.6 billion) Brisbane Olympics main stadium .

There was a heavy security presence again Monday, days after Queensland state police arrested five people and council staff began dismantling protest camp sites on the parklands.

A small group of activists was relocated from inside to outside the perimeter fencing in the parklands just after midnight.

Queensland state Premier David Crisafulli turned the first sod, and said the public had been urging his government to “get on with it.”

“It’s game on — we have a plan to deliver for the 2032 Games and beyond, and today, we get cracking on delivering it,” he told a news conference. “Victoria Park will be the beating sport, cultural and green heart of Brisbane, and a place all Queenslanders can be proud of.”

Crisafulli said he respected the rights of protesters to have a say, but not between “excavators and bulldozers.”

Indigenous and environment groups have protested the construction of a major stadium in the heritage-listed park close to downtown Brisbane, saying the green space and culturally significant sites would be lost for future generations in the state capital.