SYDNEY, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Construction work has begun on the Brisbane Olympic stadium for the 2032 Summer Games after the Australian government rejected Aboriginal cultural protection applications for the site.

Possession of the Olympic stadium site in Victoria Park in Brisbane's inner north was on Monday officially transferred from the city council to the Games Independent Infrastructure Coordination Authority (GIICA), allowing preparatory earthworks to begin.

The milestone comes almost five years after Brisbane was officially awarded hosting rights for the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in July 2021.

The 63,000-seat stadium at Victoria Park is the centerpiece of the 7.1 billion Australian dollar (5.1 billion U.S. dollar) Games Venues Infrastructure Program and will host the opening and closing ceremonies as well as athletics in 2032.

"Victoria Park will be the beating sport, cultural and green heart of Brisbane, and a place all Queenslanders can be proud of," David Crisafulli, premier of the state of Queensland, said in a statement on Monday.

Ahead of the GIICA taking possession of the site on Monday, protestors who had been occupying the site to object to the plan to build a new stadium were evicted by police.

Murray Watt, the federal minister for environment and water, said in a statement on Sunday that the government has so far received 10 applications to protect areas of Victoria Park as significant Aboriginal areas.

He said that two of the applications relating to early works set to begin on Monday were denied because he was "unable to be satisfied" that either met statutory requirements for a protection declaration.

Watt said that the government would continue to assess the remaining applications. ■