Opposition Leader Bill Shorten commits $2.24 billion to Brisbane’s Cross River Rail

Infrastructure is set to become a key battleground in the next federal election with Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Monday committing $2.24 billion to Brisbane’s $5.4 billion Cross River Rail – a project that has been consistently rebuffed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

It follows multibillion-dollar commitments by Mr Turnbull to road and rail projects in recent weeks, including $1 billion for the M1 freeway expansion on the Gold Coast and $5 billion for a rail link to Melbourne airport in Victoria.

Although the Palaszczuk Labor government had already resigned itself to funding the Cross River Rail in last year’s state budget, Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the federal funds from a future Shorten government would allow them to reallocate the money to other much-needed projects in Queensland.

“Bill Shorten’s offer of $2.24 billion is a game changer for us,” Ms Trad said. “Cross River Rail is essential to the future of transport in the whole south-east region and we need to build it now.”

Federal Labor’s funding of $800 million towards construction and a 50:50 split of running costs is obviously dependent on Mr Shorten winning the next federal election, which is due early next year, but could be held later this year. The bulk of the money from federal Labor for the Cross River Rail will not be available until 2022-23 and 2023-2024.

Labor is hoping to win back a swag of federal seats in Queensland where the Coalition currently holds 21 out of 30 electorates, compared to Labor’s eight seats.

The Palaszczuk government and the Turnbull government have been engaged in a verbal slanging match over the Cross River Rail project, which has been Queensland’s self-proclaimed No.1 infrastructure project for the past five years, but has languished on the drawing board due to a lack of funds.

Mr Turnbull said Queensland had yet to provide the proper documentation on Cross River Rail to Infrastructure Australia, the federal government’s infrastructure agency, which would allow funding for the project – a claim denied by the Palaszczuk government.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Ms Trad had been hoping for federal funds to build the $5.4 billion rail link across the Brisbane River, but announced in June last year they would go it alone, even though a lot of the funding was pushed beyond the four-year budget cycle.

Mr Shorten, who has been a constant visitor to Queensland in the past few years, said the Cross River Rail would help break congestion in Australia’s third-largest city as well as create 7700 construction jobs and 500 operating jobs.

“When all is said and done, this project is good news for commuters, it’s good news for jobs and it’s good news for south-east Queensland,” Mr Shorten said.

Opposition infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese said the former federal Labor government had money on the table for the Cross River Rail as far back as the 2013 budget before it was removed by former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott who had “contempt for public transport”.

Mr Shorten said he wanted to “take politics out of infrastructure” saying federal Labor would match the Coalition’s commitment to expand the M1 near the Queensland-NSW border.

“That’s why we invite the Turnbull government to match what we’re saying on Cross River Rail. It is not a public transport policy to take selfies of yourself on public transport, you actually need to build public transport,” he said.

“Only Labor has got a funded plan to build public transport in south-east Queensland and many other parts of our capital cities.”

Queensland Liberal National Party leader Deb Frecklington said the cost of the Cross River Rail could reach as high as $14 billion by the time it was built next decade.

“Shorten’s $800 million for construction doesn’t touch the sides of Labor’s budget black hole,” he said.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk needs to come clean on the extra $10 billion in hidden costs that will be needed for Cross River Rail – the extra trains, operating costs and auxiliary works.”

Source: AFR