Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there's still a lot of work to be done on Brisbane's proposed $4.5 billion cross-river rail tunnel, indicating federal funding won't be forthcoming for some time.
Speaking at the opening of the $1.2 billion Redcliffe Peninsula Line, Mr Turnbull said the cross-river project's business case needed to be assessed and the state government and Brisbane City Council needed to agree to a design.
"It's important to do the work first. If you take spending taxpayers' money seriously ... you've got to do your homework carefully," he said.
"Writing out cheques ... without doing the homework is a good way to waste money. We will be very careful about it.
"There is a lot of work to be done on it."
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But federal opposition infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese said the project had been funded by the Gillard government before being removed from the budget under Tony Abbott in 2014.
Mr Albanese said without the project southeast Queensland's rail system would reach full capacity within five years.
"That will mean lower economic growth, less jobs for the people of southeast Queensland," he said.
