The Premier and her deputy have presented a united front against Brisbane City Council's proposed Metro rapid transit system, insisting it could not go forward in its current form.
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In a joint statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad sought to clarify the government's position in its ongoing dispute with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk over his proposed Brisbane Metro.
It came after divisions appeared to emerge on Tuesday morning when Ms Trad told 612 ABC Brisbane the government would assist the council in delivering the project.
Ms Trad's comments were less that 24 hours after Ms Palaszczuk said Cr Quirk should "ditch" the $1.5 billion project altogether, since the state government had ruled out providing the old Go Print site at Woolloongabba.
The site had been earmarked as a location for the Metro's southside rolling stock holding yard, but the state government said it required the land for its $5 billion Cross River Rail project.
Ms Palaszczuk and Ms Trad sought to sing from the same hymn sheet on Tuesday afternoon, when they issued a joint statement to Fairfax Media.
"The fact the Go Print site has been ruled out, which the government confirmed on Saturday, means Mr Quirk's Brisbane Metro plan cannot work in its current form," they said in the statement.
"Of course, if Mr Quirk chooses to develop a business case, the state will look at it, but the number one public transport priority for every level of government must be Cross River Rail.
"We urge him to put everything else aside and get onboard.
"We now know Scott Emerson and the LNP supported Cross River Rail in 2013, it's about time the project again received bipartisan support so it can proceed as soon as possible."
Federal opposition infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese revealed on Monday how close the Gillard and Newman governments had come to delivering Cross River Rail in 2013, prior to the election of the Abbott government.
Cr Quirk said the Go Print site could accommodate both infrastructure projects.
"We have said all the way along the business case would look at the coexistence of Cross River Rail and Metro and we are committed to that," he said.
"We're not about taking over the Go Print site. We never have been. We understand that the state have plans for that site in respect of Cross River Rail.
"We understand they have plans for that site in terms of a 40-storey tower and there's no reason why those plans cannot continue.
"They can coexist and the invitation to the state to be a part of the business case was about working in co-operation."
