Queensland arts minister approved name for Glasshouse Theatre before public vote opened, documents show
Brisbane's Glasshouse Theatre officially opened this month as the fifth theatre of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
In short:
Documents show Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek approved the name for Glasshouse Theatre in February last year, two months before the community was invited to have its say.
Community consultation opened in April 2025 for one month, with the public asked to vote for Glasshouse, Lantern, Watershed, Russell Street or to put forward its own suggestion.
When asked about the minister's decision, Premier David Crisafulli said: "We asked Queenslanders to have a say, and they did in big numbers."
Queensland's arts minister has defended his decision to approve the name for Brisbane's new theatre months before inviting the community to vote on what it should be called.
The 1,500-seat Glasshouse Theatre officially opened this month as the fifth theatre of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), making it the largest performing arts venue under one roof in Australia.
Documents released under Right to Information laws show a staffer said in January last year that Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek was "set" on naming it the Glasshouse Theatre.
The following month, a briefing note shows, the minister approved the name before the community was invited to have its say in April.
John-Paul Langbroek at the Glasshouse Theatre in February, before its official opening. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
This was before the proposed name was put to QPAC chief executive Rachel Healy, who said in a letter to the minister's office the board had raised concerns over a theatre in Port Macquarie holding the same name and put forward the suggestion of The Watershed.
In the letter, Ms Healy said QPAC's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory group's recommendation of Oodgeroo, in honour of Aboriginal poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal, could be seen as "an inspirational national example of Queensland creative imagination and leadership".
Brisbane's new Glasshouse Theatre has opened on Russell Street in South Brisbane. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
Community consultation opened in April 2025 for one month, with members of the public asked to vote for Glasshouse, Lantern, Watershed, Russell Street or to put forward their own suggestion.
Documents show Mr Langbroek suggested inviting the public to name the new theatre two weeks after signing off on Glasshouse as its name in a briefing note.
The Glasshouse Theatre makes QPAC the largest performing arts centre under one roof. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
In a media release at the time public consultation was launched, Mr Langbroek said the names Glasshouse and Lantern were "inspired by the theatre's shimmering facade", while Watershed and Russell Street "reference the theatre's location and proximity to the river".
Mr Langbroek announced the theatre would be named The Glasshouse in July, stating the name was chosen following a month-long consultation process.
More than 5,000 votes were cast with 42 per cent voting for Glasshouse, 6.4 per cent for Lantern, 3.5 per cent for Watershed and 3.4 per cent for Russell Street.
More than 900 other names were suggested, including five respondents submitting Oodgeroo as their preferred option.
Documents show Mr Langbroek approved Glasshouse Theatre as the new name for the venue before the public was asked to vote on what it should be called. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)
In a statement Mr Langbroek said Glasshouse was the government's "preferred name for the theatre".
"But before we considered making any formal announcement, we checked with Queenslanders who also overwhelmingly backed the name and beyond that we have been overwhelmed with support for the name across the state, country and world," he said.
"We got it right, it is the perfect name."
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said no announcement was made before "listening to Queenslanders".
"It is made of glass and I can't be any more transparent than that," she said.
When asked what would have happened if Glasshouse did not win the public vote Ms Frecklington said: "Wouldn't it have been lucky that we hadn't made our decision then."
The $184 million Glasshouse Theatre at South Brisbane features a 1,500-capacity auditorium. (ABC Radio Brisbane: Kenji Sato)
Playwright and director and Quandamooka man, Wesley Enoch, told ABC 612 Brisbane it was "galling" to see the Oodgeroo name suggestion ignored.
"We walked into the doors that she had opened, and we've gone and had careers all over the place," he said.
"To watch a door close as a sign of disrespect to this woman is quite galling actually, really galling."
Opposition criticises 'sham process'
Shadow Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said the process for naming the venue was an "absolute insult" to the suggestion made by Arts Queensland to the government in 2024 that it be named Oodgeroo Theatre.
"This could have been an opportunity to name a theatre after a very important person in our history," she said.
"But unfortunately they decided that they didn't like that name, they binned it, and then they entered into what we now know is an absolute sham process."
Mr Langbroek said the preferred name put forward by the advisory group was not progressed by Labor when it was in government.
A QPAC spokesperson said in a statement as it is a government-owned building the naming of the theatre "was a matter for the government of the day".