Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has asked the Department of Defence to look for alternative sites for expanded military training areas in Queensland, following a backlash from local farmers.
Queensland Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls says the prime minister told him of the directive to look for other sites during a lengthy phone call this week.
The Department of Defence had planned to acquire large parcels of land around Shoalwater Bay in central Queensland and the Burdekin in the state's north, as part of a $2.2 billion investment by the Singaporean Army in joint training arrangements with Australia.
The move has attracted significant blowback from local farmers who say the expansion would force them to give up prime agricultural land.
Politicians of all stripes have jumped on the issue, with Pauline Hanson claiming the plan to forcibly acquire the land "may be unconstitutional" and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk labelling the proposal "heartless and cruel".
Mr Nicholls had also come out against the acquisitions and on Thursday claimed credit for the federal government's apparent change of course.
"While Annastacia Palaszczuk and Pauline Hanson have been squabbling publicly about this issue to get a headline, only the Queensland LNP has actually taken the fight to Canberra and got a commitment to find a compromise solution," he said in a statement.
"We need good relations with allies such as Singapore and the expansion would provide a significant economic boost to local communities but it is equally important to look after our farmers and graziers."
AAP