Shorten slams PM over Cross River Rail funding snub

Labor has smashed Scott Morrison for failing to invest in Queensland’s Cross River Rail, saying the Prime Minister was denying 7700 local jobs, as Bill Shorten upped the ante and made his own commitment.

LABOR has smashed Scott Morrison for failing to invest in Queensland’s Cross River Rail, saying the Prime Minister was denying 7700 local jobs — seven times what was being offered by Adani.

As the unofficial election campaign heats up, Bill Shorten has come out swinging, upping the ante for Queensland by saying Labor would also hire hundreds of apprentices to work on the multibillion-dollar rail investment.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has upped the ante, slamming the PM’s lack of CRR funds while making his own pledge. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Shorten, who today pledged $2.24 billion dollars over the next number of years in the construction phase and operation phase, said only Labor would deliver Brisbane’s biggest infrastructure project and secure extra local jobs.

Federal Labor’s investment will free up State Labor to invest in other parts of the state.

“This will deliver 7700 jobs over the construction phase and 500 in the operation phase,” Mr Shorten said.

He said he could have been “knocked over by a feather” that Prime Minister Scott Morrison had not spoken about Cross River Rail on his recent visit to the state to make announcements about infrastructure funding.

“You can’t be fair dinkum about congestion and jobs unless you’re willing to revitalise our public transport infrastructure,” Mr Shorten said.

Premier Palaszczuk said Prime Minister Scott Morrison and LNP had failed to provide even one single dollar to the plan.

She called out the federal funding to infrastructure projects in Melbourne and Sydney and the lack of support for the project she claimed would be “transformational” in Queensland.

Mr Shorten today pledged 770 Queensland apprentices will work on Cross River Rail.

Labor’s recently announced national procurement strategy, which gives local firms a fair go at competing for work, will apply to the project.

The PM has plenty to say during his Queensland visit this week, but not much about funds for the CRR project. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

And not to be outdone for the battle for Queensland, Mr Shorten will also match funding for infrastructure projects Scott Morrison has announced this week, including upgrading the intersection of Commercial Road and Doggett Street in Newstead, the Gympie Arterial Road, Ipswich Motorway and Mt Lindesay Highway corridors.

Labor’s finance spokesman and Member for Rankin Jim Chalmers said the PM was coming too late to the party.

“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,’’ Dr Chalmers said.

“Scott Morrison is cheating Queensland out of 7700 jobs while he stands in the way of this project.

“If Morrison thinks that after years of ignoring the problem he can ease congestion without investing in Cross River Rail, he’s even more arrogant and out of touch than Queenslanders feared.

“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.”