State accused of withholding millions from project

The State Government has been accused of withholding millions of dollars in crucial federal funds that was supposed to be spent on Brisbane City Council’s signature Brisbane public transport project.

THE Palaszczuk Government has been accused of withholding millions of dollars in crucial federal funds that was supposed to be spent on Brisbane City Council’s signature Brisbane Metro project.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner yesterday launched a scathing attack on the State Government, pleading with the administration to not make Brisbane Metro “another Adani” as the council fends off crippling delays.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the council is chasing down $10 million in Federal Government funds for the project that it says the State Government is yet to pass on.

Cr Schrinner said the money was part of the council’s funding arrangement with the Federal Government and was supposed to be used for land resumptions at Rochedale for the Metro’s depot.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner yesterday pleaded with the State Government to not make Metro “another Adani”. (AAP Image/Claudia Baxter)

“The State Government is not only delaying the works for this critical project, they are also refusing to release the payment for the progress we have made,” he said. “This is yet another example of political interference in the fully funded Brisbane Metro project.

“The State needs to pay up the money they rightfully owe us. The land was gazetted in March (so) this money should have been handed over months ago.”

Cr Schrinner also yesterday revealed the project had been hit by another major delay after the State Government told the council it would have to scrap the planned Cultural Centre Station.

The station will instead have to be built under the Brisbane Convention Centre, despite the council holding more than 200 meetings in recent years with State Government officials to discuss the project.

Design of the Cultural Centre Station that will now have to be shelved.

The Lord Mayor said Metro had become “Brisbane’s Adani and the same people are responsible for slowing it down”.

“This project is a project that is suffering the same delays as the Adani mine,” he said.

“It is clear to me right now that this project is on a ‘go slow’ for purely political reasons.”

The State Government was criticised for ordering last-minute reviews of Adani’s environmental management plans for its Carmichael coal mine.

Cr Schrinner could not guarantee yesterday if services for the Metro would begin as scheduled by 2023, or say if the delays would push the price tag of the $944 million project upwards beyond $1 billion.

“Projects don’t get cheaper if they’re delayed,” he said.

“We don’t see any good reason why services shouldn’t be up and running in 2023.”

State Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the Government supported Metro “in principle”, but would not be rushed to suit Cr Schrinner’s election timetable.

The next local government elections are in March 2020.

The minister also said more work was required to ensure the project was “done right”.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said there was still a range of unresolved issues with the Metro. Picture: Jerad Williams

“We made it clear to council last year that if it commenced procurement before the scope of the project was finalised, it would do so at its own risk,” Mr Bailey said.

“There are a range of other unresolved issues, including design.

“Which large bus will be selected, its specifications and performance on the busway; scale of construction impacts and managing disruptions to commuters; and who will bear the cost for the operation of the system.”

Labor’s lord mayoral candidate Rod Harding said Cr Schrinner loved to blame others for his own problems, adding that he had no confidence that Metro services would commence by 2023.

LNP leader Deb Frecklington said the State Government was standing in the way of the project for “political reasons”.