With the unofficial federal election campaign focused on South East Queensland this week, Opposition leader Bill Shorten has criticised the Government for not contributing to Brisbane’s $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
Shorten has vowed to provide $2.24 billion to Cross River Rail if the Labor Party wins at the federal election, which must take place before May 9. The Coalition has argued the project doesn’t need Commonwealth funding, as the Queensland Government – led by Labor premier Annastacia Palaszczuk – has said it will fully fund the venture.
The Coalition has also justified its refusal to fund Cross River Rail with analysis from Infrastructure Australia. The independent advisor last year said the latest iteration of the project did not meet the necessary cost-benefit benchmark to warrant listing as a Priority Project – a listing which would more directly command support from the Federal Government.
But Labor has stuck to its guns at both state and federal levels, saying the project passed cost-benefit testing in the past, and deserved funding long ago. On Wednesday, Shorten renewed his support for the project, pledging to supply $2.24 billion in funding, and to ensure 770 Queensland apprentices work on its delivery.
Labor’s federal MP for Rankin, Jim Chalmers, criticised the Morrison Government – on tour in South East Queensland this week to unveil funding for other road and rail infrastructure – for missing the boat on a critical project.
“Morrison is joking if he thinks he can front up to Queensland and ignore the fact he hasn’t put a dollar into our most important infrastructure project,” Chalmers was quoted by the Courier Mail. “Failure to build the Cross River Rail will put a handbrake on the region’s ability to grow, and will put more pressure on already congested roads.”
The Coalition’s minister for urban infrastructure, Alan Tudge, again dismissed any possibility of the party funding Cross River Rail on Tuesday.
“There won’t be [funding], and that’s because the Queensland Government has said it’s fully funded,” Tudge told 4BC Drive host Mark Braybrook. “Our focus has been elsewhere. If they’re fully funding [Cross River Rail], it enables us to be able to put money into other projects.”
“The Premier would argue the reason they’re doing that is because they’re not getting any money from the Federal Government,” Braybrook posited.
“Well, they’ve said that for a long time that it’s a fully funded project,” Tudge replied. “Now, you wouldn’t expect us – I mean, if someone says that something’s fully funded, then you don’t expect someone else to then put money in, because it’s already catered for.”