Calls by livid crossbenchers in Queensland's hung parliament for the Liberal National Party to stand with them and block the Labor government's budget has been snuffed out by the opposition.
Katter's Australia Party leader Rob Katter quickly announced after the budget was delivered on Tuesday that four of the parliament's five crossbenchers - the two KAP MPs, One Nation's Steve Dickson and independent Roby Pyne - would block it on principle.
Mr Katter outlined a range of measures, including reducing north Queensland power prices by five per cent and the north Queensland unemployment rate to six per cent, which would have to be met for them to support the budget.
He called on the LNP to team with the crossbench and block the budget.
"If the LNP stands with us, we can make this happen, we can create real change for north Queensland," Mr Katter said in a statement.
However Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls swiftly ruled out the dramatic measure, despite having several concerns of his own about the Palaszczuk government's third budget.
"We're going to criticise the budget, but our policy position is not to block the budget," Mr Nicholls said told reporters.
Mr Katter, one of four north Queensland-based MPs on the crossbench, said the government had tunnel vision over the Cross River Rail project, committing an extra $2 billion to start work on the $5.4 billion Brisbane River crossing
"North Queenslanders will not forget that this government thought $2 billion was better spent on a project so city people could get home from work a bit earlier, rather than on infrastructure projects to invest in north Queensland's future," he said.
"That same $2 billion could have seen the rail line out of the Galilee Basin already built, which would produce income for Queensland for decades to come."
