Gold Coast light rail stage 3a: State under pressure to reveal tram funding details

The Palaszczuk Government is under pressure to release its funding commitment for the $660 million next stage of Gold Coast light rail.

THE Palaszczuk Government is under pressure to release its funding commitment for the next stage of Gold Coast light rail.

The Bulletin in the past week has put the spotlight on both the Morrison Government and Labor’s Gold Coast-based Senator Murray Watt after it was revealed the federal funding offers from both major parties was $45 million short.

The tram route.

Federal Labor is refusing to fight for extra funding above the Commonwealth commitment of $112 million for the project which will see the trams extended from Broadbeach to Burleigh, explaining its priorities are Cross River Rail and the Pacific Motorway.

A majority of councillors, late on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting, finalised the council’s confidential financial offer which will be sent to the State.

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In a Question on Notice, the Bonney LNP MP Sam O’Connor has asked State Transport Minister Mark Bailey “what was the specific amount of funding requested from the Federal Government” and “how much funding is the Queensland Government prepared to commit”.

The Burleigh station

“Federal funding is only ever going to be a small part of the total cost. This is a state project. At least two-thirds of the money will have to come from the State Government so where is it? We have not seen a single cent so far,” Mr O’Connor said.

Where the Miam North station will be built.

Mr Bailey accused the “rookie MP” of rolling over “to take the first and lowest funding deal on light rail that’s ever been offered”.

The former Federal Labor Government contributed $365 million towards the $949 million cost of light rail stage one with the Federal LNP voting against it, Mr Bailey said.

“Under the Abbot-Turnbull-Morrison LNP Government, federal funding for Stage 2 was drastically cut to $95 million or only 23 per cent, with the Palaszczuk Labor Government left to do the heavy lifting with $270 million (64 per cent) to get this critical infrastructure delivered in time for the Commonwealth Games.

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“There is absolutely no policy basis or logic for why the Federal LNP has made their current lowest ever offer for the next stage to Burleigh,” Mr Bailey said.

“The $112 million has been randomly chosen and will cover about only 16 per cent of the project’s cost. That’s a $157.5 million shortfall compared to the stage 1 funding formula.”

“We’ll consider our funding position on the next stage of light rail once we have received fair offers from the Federal Government and council. That offer for Stage 3A needs to be closer to a 38 per cent share, rather than the 23 per cent from stage two.”