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Pauline Hanson has told the Turnbull government to build the billion-dollar Galilee Basin coal line itself, announcing she would oppose a "foreign multi-national" from owning the crucial infrastructure.
The rail corridor, which would run from the central Queensland coal basin to the Abbot Point port on the state's coast, has been deemed a key feature of Indian mining company Adani moving forward with its project.
But the One Nation leader, who has maintained support for the mining project itself, said she had asked Resources Minister Matt Canavan to build the line "as a piece of national infrastructure".
"This approved rail corridor will eventually connect to the national line, so it should be owned by the Australian people, not a foreign multi-national," she said in a statement.
"This railway could make the Australian people hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Adani are here to build a coal mine, not a gold mine.
"This is a railroad that should belong to the people. We should build it, own it, control it and make sure no future government can give it away."
The rail corridor is seen as a crucial piece of infrastructure in opening the Galilee Basin up to mining, with both GVK Hancock and Clive Palmer's Waratah Coal having earmarked projects in the region.
But the lack of infrastructure in the remote regions is one of the reasons projects have been stalled. The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility board is considering granting a concessional loan to Adani to build the project.
But questions have been raised over the mining company ownership over the rail corridor, which will stand as the only way to move product from any future minds, thereby helping it control the price of transportation.
Senator Hanson's opposition has her in lockstep with Kennedy MP Bob Katter. The Queensland government has just emerged from an internal dispute over how it would handle any government funds, coming to the conclusion it would remove itself as the middle man and not facilitate any loan granted through the NAIF.
The proposed Adani mine, which has sat on the drawing board for six years, has faced fierce opposition from environmental groups and some land owners, concerned over the water rights the project has been granted, and the potential impact to the Great Barrier Reef.
Opening up a new coal basin is seen as critical to pulling Queensland's economy, which has continued to suffer from the downturn in the mining boom and a fall in commodity prices, out of its slump.
The $5 billion Northern Australia fund, established under the Abbott government, is yet to approve funding for a project.
