Schrinner cries foul on metro, but Brisbane City Council was warned

The news was given to Brisbane City Council on Friday, the day that tenders closed - the much vaunted solution to the city's congestion woes, the $944 million Brisbane Metro, would have to be delayed again.

But it took five days for the three bidding companies to be told of the delay and they found out, along with a room full of the city's movers and shakers, at a business lunch on Wednesday.

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner has slammed the state government for "going slow" on Brisbane Metro.Credit: Glenn Hunt/AAP

Lord mayor Adrian Schrinner dropped the bombshell to a host of lunch-goers at a Queensland Media Club event on Wednesday afternoon, announcing the state government now required a total redesign of the planned Cultural Centre Metro Station.

And it would have to be relocated to under the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

After 3½ years of meetings between the council and the state government, Cr Schrinner said, Brisbane Metro was delayed again.

Painting a picture of a project that would be a boon to the city, if not the state, Cr Schrinner asked lunchgoers and a table of assembled media to consider the metro as "Brisbane's Adani".

The original concept images for the new Metro Cultural Centre station at South Brisbane, as part of the council's Brisbane Metro plans.

And "Brisbane's Adani" was now being "go-slowed" by the state government, which was digging its heels in, not giving approvals, and trying to weaken the council's LNP administration ahead of the March 2020 council election.

According to Cr Schrinner, at least.

But the announcement, carefully dropped at the start of a speech ostensibly aiming to outline his vision for Brisbane, didn't mention that the council had forged ahead with procurement without waiting for any state government approvals.

"On Friday we were told that we need to redesign the Cultural Centre Metro station and relocate it underneath the building we're in today - the Brisbane Convention Centre," Cr Schrinner said.

"So a major part of the project, a project that has been underway several years in planning, 276 meetings, the 11th hour, has been asked to be redesigned by the state government."

How long would that take? Cr Schrinner couldn't say.

And the additional cost? It was to be expected delays to such a major project would see the cost increase, he said.

What reason did the state government give for the late news about the sudden relocation and redesign? None, he said.

Sitting the crowd, alongside academics, business owners, contractors and LNP councillors enjoying a fish or lamb lunch, the Queensland Major Contractors Association's chief executive Jon Davies put down his fork and picked up his phone.

Queensland Major Contractors Association chief executive Jon Davies, photographed in June.Credit: Eamon Gallagher

The three contractors that had submitted their bids on Friday, and were preparing for pitch meetings with the council this week, were blindsided.

Straight after the lunch, Mr Davies rushed out to speak with the journalists who were setting up to grill Cr Schrinner again on the announcement.

"They're in a state of absolute shock," he said of the three would-be contractors.

"...They submitted their bids on Friday, they're due to make presentations to Brisbane City Council this week and they've all invested significant amounts of money in this tendering process of which they get a small proportion back."

About $3 million would be paid out of those companies' pockets to make their bid, he said, and they wouldn't get that back - and they would still have to wait to see who wins the contract.

"I can't recall in 20 years this ever happening in my experience," Mr Davies said.

The proposed Brisbane Metro underground station at the Cultural Centre in South Brisbane.

Facing the media again minutes later, Cr Schrinner insisted the council had had no similar problems with other major projects such as the Legacy Way or Clem7.

But he didn't say why the council had decided to open procurement without waiting for state government approvals.

Cr Schrinner said questions about why the contractors only found out on Wednesday were "distracting from the real issue" about why the state government was delaying.

"They haven't issued any approvals, for anything," he said.

"We need early works approvals, we need approvals to relocate underground services like electricity and sewerage pipes.

"We need early approvals to relocate the lifts on the QPAC overpass - these are basic things they can issue with the stroke of a pen and we can get started on the project."

A couple of hours later the Transport Minister Mark Bailey stood up, putting the blame for the delayed contracts firmly on the council.

It wasn't the fault of the state government that Brisbane Metro was delayed, Minister Mark Bailey said.Credit: AAP Image/ Dan Peled

"We said to them very clearly that we want to solve the issues that are unresolved, but if they go out to tender it is at their own risk to do so before the issues are resolved," he said.

"They knew that, they still went out to tender, so that's a responsibility for the council."

The minister also dismissed Cr Schrinner's accusations of political interference, saying his meeting with the lord mayor on Friday was "very positive".

"I'm surprised he would say that given he didn't say that to me on Friday, so I simply say to the lord mayor - keep working with us on this project," he said.

In a measured response, quite different from Cr Schrinner's strong words of frustration and delay, Mr Bailey said the proposed redesign and relocation of the metro stop would be for the benefit of the city.

And the lord mayor's description of Brisbane Metro as the city's Adani?

"I just think that's a little over the top."