Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended her claim the Cross River Rail project is "shovel ready" despite no allocated funds in this year's federal budget and alterations to the signature scheme still before the coordinator-general.
The $5.4 billion project, touted by the Labor government as Queensland's foremost infrastructure priority, was not earmarked for any specific allocation of federal funding in Tuesday's budget.
Rather, it only went as far as saying it was one of a number of projects that could be considered as part of a $10 billion national rail program.
In Queensland Parliament question time, Shadow Treasurer Scott Emerson pressed the premier to explain how she could claim the project was ready to go when project design alterations were still being considered by the coordinator-general.
The project's environmental impact statement was initially approved in 2012 but a subsequent request for tweaks, including a shortened tunnel, and submissions on it are still being assessed.
But Ms Palaszczuk, who blasted the federal budget as a "slap in the face" to Queensland, insisted work on the project could still start get underway if adequate funding was secured.
"It is shovel ready, it is ready to go," she told parliament on Wednesday.
The state government expects early works could begin within months even as the minor changes to the project's design await formal approval.
Earlier, Ms Palaszczuk said the project's business case - which the Liberal National Party opposition has called on the government to release publicly - had been with the federal government since June last year.
The state government previously claimed it needed the federal money to start initial works on the project but Treasurer Curtis Pitt on Wednesday refused to say how he would deal with it in his June budget.
"If there's no federal money we will have to look at the funding options," Mr Pitt said.
"Clearly the federal government has shown complete disdain for this project and for Queensland."
Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison said projects such as Cross River Rail and the Brisbane Metro have the potential to be supported through the rail program, subject to a proven business case.
But state Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls levelled blame at the Labor government, claiming it hadn't done enough to secure funds.
"It's simply not good enough to stand up a week before budget week, berate the prime minister and have a war of words," he said.
"And then a week later stand up and complain because the Labor government hasn't done the work."
