The Queensland government has hit out at the federal coalition for offering to fund a major Victorian rail project while denying money for Brisbane's $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday pledged up to $5 billion to build a Melbourne Airport rail link and urged the state government to agree to share the funding, with any shortfall to be made up by the private sector.
"Today's announcement that the federal government is injecting $5 billion into Victoria for a project which doesn't have a business case and a rail line which doesn't yet have an alignment, just proves that Queensland continues to be dudded by Malcolm Turnbull," Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad said.
Mr Turnbull's Victorian announcement followed a cash splash for a series of projects last week, including upgrades to the M1 north and south of Brisbane as well as funding for the long-awaited Rookwood weir in central Queensland.
But Ms Trad claimed the announcements were transparently about shoring up support for Mr Turnbull and his government.
"What I think this demonstrates is the desperate leader of a federal party which has had 30 consecutive negative Newspolls, who is facing pressure from his own ranks and is resorting to political stunts rather than the infrastructure this nation needs," she said.
Mr Turnbull said the Melbourne Airport link, which like Cross River Rail has been suggested for many years, was an historic investment in that state's capital.
"This is $5 billion to bust congestion. The time for putting this in the too-hard basket is over," he said.
The federal government last year refused to fund any part of Cross River Rail after funding body Infrastructure Australia stated it wasn't satisfied with the business case put forward by the state government.
By contrast, the Victorian project does not have a business case and a final route for the rail line is yet to be decided.
