Canberra Airport proposes all-event stadium in city centre

Canberra Airport has unveiled a proposal to build a new stadium in the city centre at a site previously ruled out for development by the ACT government.

The airport said the proposed venue would be capable of hosting international musical acts as well as "blockbuster sporting events".

It said the central stadium was intended to ensure event crowds were within walking distance of public transport, including the light rail, as well as hotels, restaurants and bars in Civic.

The proposed site is the location of the current Archbishop's House at Regatta Place and is on Commonwealth land.

The proposed stadium's concept takes inspiration from New Zealand's Te Kaha stadium in Christchurch, which opened in 2026.

The covered New Zealand stadium, which is able to seat up to 36,000, cost around $531 million to deliver, including earthquake-proofing.

Canberra Airport said the national capital's design would need to be "tailored to local conditions", but the Te Kaha stadium provided "a compelling example" of how a stadium in a city centre could transform visitor experience while supporting economic activity.

Proposal to strengthen 'heart of our city'

Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron said the city "deserves a stadium of which it can be proud".

"Canberra deserves a stadium … that brings people together, creates economic growth and strengthens the heart of our city," Mr Byron said.

"This is about creating a better experience for fans and visitors, supporting local jobs and businesses, and ensuring Canberra can compete for the major events that currently pass us by."

Canberra Airport said it was "willing to contribute to the proposal's development" but was not seeking ownership and would have no ongoing financial interest in owning or operating the stadium.

The airport said its role would be to work with business, government, sporting and community stakeholders to "test the concept through architectural design, construction costings and an independent economic and social impact assessment".

A stadium in Canberra's CBD has long been a topic of discussion in the nation's capital, even becoming an election issue during the 2022 federal election.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr was among the first prominent voices to call for a new stadium in Civic, but later cooled on the idea.

In 2023, Mr Barr told the ABC the government had "thoroughly explored" the city proposal, and had "tried to make it work", but the site's constraints meant it had to consider other options.

Canberra Airport chief executive Stephen Byron said today's proposal was the result of "fortuitous timing".

"I think sometimes the pieces of the puzzle come together at the right time ... that we've been able, as a group of people interested in the future of Canberra, to come across the church at a time where they're thinking about the future of their site," he said.

"This would be a project that would absolutely make use of the infrastructure investment in the light rail, and it puts the stadium in the heart of the city."

Mr Byron clarified that the Archbishop's residence was not heritage listed, and he said they would work closely with the Catholic Church on the project.

"It would also require the approval of the Commonwealth for this lease to be transferred from the Catholic Church to what we see as a future entity that would own and operate the stadium," he said.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously told Senate Estimates the Archbishop's House was not supported by the government as a site for any major development.

"The Archbishop's residence is not zoned, suitable or available for development of that large scale," the chief minister said in answer to a question taken on notice last year.

Mr Byron did not say if he had had any meaningful conversations with the ACT government about the proposal.

"I think in reality, what we need to do is both attract private capital to such an important facility and a fantastic location ... but also the attention of the Australian government,"

he said.

"One of the things we've said we will do as the private sector group is that we will look to develop a design and we'll get it costed by an expert builder who builds stadiums."