George St Beat: Rumour puts Cross River Rail project off the rails by around $7b

A secret brief has landed in the Cabinet bags of Palaszczuk Government ministers revealing the whole-of-project cost for the Cross River Rail - and it’s a whopper.

ALL aboard for what shapes, according to some in the know, as a gargantuan financial train wreck.

The scuttlebutt along George St is that a brief has landed in the Cabinet bags of Palaszczuk Government ministers laying out the whole-of-project cost for Cross River Rail.

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And the figure being bandied about – unconfirmed, of course, because these things are top secret – is … wait for it … a whopping $12 billion.

That would be some blowout given the 10.2km rail link was priced at $5.4 billion.

Apparently it’s got something to do with upgrades to existing train stations.

And there’s suggestions only the New Generation Rollingstock – those Indian-made models that Labor doesn’t much like – are the only trains capable of handling Cross River Rail’s incline.

No wonder left-wing union foot stamping for a better wage deal is falling on deaf ears.

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW

THE spirit of Christmas mustn’t have fully waned, given our spies were keen to share this bit of gossip.

Apparently a Labor ministerial staffer caused a bit of a scene at a prominent watering hole during an end-of-year knees-up funded by a lobbying firm.

The staffer took objection to being shown the exit sign when staff accused them of snorting a substance in the bathroom.

“If they had have just left no one would have known but they made a big deal about getting kicked out,” our source said.

Please. No white Christmas jibes.

WORKPLACE WHISPERS

AND dare we risk trotting out the tired cliche “the plot thickens” over the shock suspension of Peter Carne from his position as the state’s Public Trustee?

Carne’s hiatus since last June remains cloaked in secrecy but there’s been whispers of a “workplace incident”, whatever that means. George St had hope of delivering the juicy details today when Carne’s name popped up in the Queensland Industrial Court case list.

Peter, Carne, The Public Trustee of Queensland.

Alas, hopes were dashed when we were informed the parties had sought a suppression order over a case file.

However, we will be so bold to suggest that if it’s ended in the remit of the court, things are less than amicable.

A LATE STARTER

IT PAYS to have friends in high places, it seems, even when you’re just a horse.

Punters would have been pleased to see the heavily-backed Alligator Blood race away to win the $2 million Magic Millions Guineas on the Gold Coast a few weeks back.

But the horse nearly didn’t make the race after being caught up on the M1 after an accident.

Jockey Ryan Maloney celebrates after riding Alligator Blood to victory in race 6, the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas. (AAP Image/Jono Searle)

Not only was the race delayed, but George Street Beat has been told the nag scored a police escort to the track.

No doubt there were a few miffed motorists who wouldn’t have minded the same level of public service.

AIN’T EASY BEING GREEN

AND finally, Labor is starting to get itchy feet over the Greens’ failure to preselect a candidate in South Brisbane, a seat many predict they could win courtesy of LNP preferences.

Are the Greens waiting to see what happens in the Gabba Ward just in case there’s a need to run the irrepressible Jono Sri in the state arena? We’re not sure whose nightmares will be worse, Jackie Trad’s or fellow Green Michael Berkman’s.