Mayor Tom Tate says he’s been ‘left in dark’ about Gold Coast exposure sites
Deputy Premier Steven Miles has again rejected Tom Tate’s call for the Gold Coast to be taken out of lockdown, explaining why the state believes it must be included. SHOULD COAST BE IN LOCKDOWN? VOTE IN OUR POLL
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DEPUTY Premier Steven Miles has defended the state’s decision to include the Gold Coast in the southeast Queensland lockdown, saying there are “lots and lots of roads” for people to travel here from Brisbane.
Mayor Tom Tate this week called for the lockdown on the Gold Coast to be lifted after no new Covid-19 cases emerged in the city.
However pressed by reporters on the issue on Friday, Mr Miles said it would be “challenging” to prevent people travelling to the Coast from Brisbane, where a cluster of the highly infectious Delta strain has now swelled to 89 cases.
“It’s very difficult to put borders in place between the southern LGAs that are part of Brisbane, largely considered part of Brisbane, and the Gold Coast,” Mr Miles said.
“There’s lots and lots of roads between that would be very challenging to try and enforce movement restrictions there.
“So clearly that’s one of the considerations is what kind of sensible area can you put restrictions around, but that doesn’t mean it will always be the case.
“There’s certainly been other lockdowns where we’ve been able to restrict the LGA further, that depends on the risks of the particular outbreak and that’s what we’ve monitored here.”
Mr Miles said he had again spoke to Cr Tate to explain the state’s reasoning.
“I spoke to Mayor Tate yesterday afternoon,” he said.
“What we’ve emphasised is that the Gold Coast has been included in this lockdown both because the originating cases of this outbreak was treated at Gold Coast University Hospital and because there were exposure sites on the Gold Coast.
“I understand the concern that the mayor has raised about its impact on businesses on the Gold Coast, but it’s critically important that we take the health advice and we apply these restrictions on the geographical areas where they are concerns, and at this stage, that includes the Gold Coast.”
THURSDAY - MILES MESSAGE TO TATE: ‘JUST CALL’
DEPUTY Premier Steven Miles has shot back at Mayor Tom Tate, saying if he has concerns about the Covid-19 response on the Gold Coast, he should call him.
Cr Tate today hit out at the state government for leaving him “in the dark” over mystery Covid exposure sites in Southport.
Cr Tate, who chairs the council’s Disaster Management Unit, wrote to Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Wednesday asking for clarity over sites, which were announced after he called for the Gold Coast to be freed from lockdown because there were no cases of community transmission here.
The Mayor doubled down on his calls again, saying: “Come Sunday… I’m looking for freedom.”
“I have had direct conversations with the Premier and that will remain with me, she knows my thoughts and knows the Gold Coast is tourism and hospitality and aviation based,” he said.
“I have formally requested for clarification (on the Southport sites) but as chair of disaster management I have no access to that information, which is unusual.
“It’s a very good question (why he doesn’t have access to the information), in nine years of chairing disaster management, the cooperation of stakeholders and flow of information is critical and Queensland Health has the data.”
Cr Tate said the lack of information sharing was a serious issue which needed to be resolved.
“They really need to advise why they’re not (sharing) because then I can communicate and understand why we’re in lockdown,” he said.
“To say they’re an exposure site? What does that even mean?
“Did someone drive 140km to a Thai Resturant, then fuel up and go home. My point is, it’s not logical. It’s a good restaurant but it’s not that good.
“I’m at a loss.”
Responding to Cr Tate’s comments, Mr Miles said he had asked chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young to call the Mayor and “address his concerns”.
“Throughout this lockdown, we have held teleconferences with all mayors to keep them informed, most recently on Monday,’ he said.
“Mayor Tate is always welcome to contact me directly – we are all in this together and I strive to work closely with our local government leaders because their role is just so important.”
Queensland recorded 16 new locally acquired covid cases on Thursday, all of which were linked to the current Brisbane outbreak.
GOLD COAST’S EMPTY COVID TESTING SITE
A COVID-19 testing site on the Gold Coast has been pictured with nobody lining up despite the city being in the grip of an eight-day lockdown.
Photographs taken by the Bulletin on Wednesday morning showed the Scottsdale Drive, Robina drive-through testing site was eerily quiet.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said for the lockdown to lift at 4pm on Sunday she needed high testing rates, new cases not to have been active in the community and people to stay at home.
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Dr Young said for the lockdown to be lifted on Sunday afternoon it was “absolutely critical” anyone with Covid symptoms got tested.
“We need big testing numbers. If we can continue to test 50,000 a day I will have confidence that we haven’t got any chains of transmission I don’t know about,” she said.
She also urged residents to check Queensland Health’s website for new exposure sites that were listed daily.
Gold Coasters can get tested at designated respiratory clinics in Hope Island, Upper Coomera, Burleigh and Nerang.
Covid clinics are also set up at Gold Coast University and Robina hospitals.
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Residents can also attend private testing clinics without a GP referral until August 6.
● Medlab has locations in Bundall and Dreamworld.
● 4Cyte Pathology has locations in Southport, Nerang, Arundel, Mudgeeraba, Currumbin Waters and Pimpama.
● Sullivan Nicolaides has locations in Robina, Parkwood, Nerang, Paradise Point and Beaudesert.
● QML has testing sites at Robina, the Australian Outback Spectacular carpark and Tweed Heads Bowling Club.
The scenes on the Gold Coast were not reflected across the state, with the government congratulated Queenslanders for smashing the state’s testing record with a mammoth 51,479 tests reported on Wednesday morning.
This was a huge increase from the previous record of 35,357.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there were “early signs” the lockdown was working, with two of 16 new cases reported on Wednesday having spent their entire infectious period at home.
“Meaning that there’s no risk that they have infected other people not in quarantine, and that’s ultimately what this lockdown is about, getting to the point where we are confident that nobody who is confirmed as positive could have infected others who are not in quarantine,” he said.
TUESDAY: MAYOR DOUBLES DOWN ON CALL TO LIFT COAST LOCKDOWN
MAYOR Tom Tate is not backing down from his call for the Gold Coast to be excluded from a week-long lockdown despite a new Covid exposure site being found in the city.
Just a day after calling for the lockdown to be lifted by 4pm Tuesday, Cr Tate said he was unconcerned about the Southport Thai restaurant being listed as an exposure site and called for a “ring of steel’ around Brisbane where the number of cases linked to the Delta strain is rapidly growing.
“A possible exposure site at a Southport restaurant is not a recorded community transmission,” he said.
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“If you applied the logic of possible exposure sites as a reason to lock down the second largest city in Queensland, you may as well lock down the entire state.
“Until we have a known community transmission here, I am asking for the lockdown to be lifted.
“Data drives the decision to lock down so the same data, or lack of it, should drive us out.”
Mayor Tate said the business sector was on its knees.
“If this keeps up, there won’t be any businesses left for the state or federal governments to compensate.”
Deputy Premier Steven Miles this morning took a veiled swipe at Cr Tate, saying the government had spoken with all southeast mayors on Monday afternoon.
“The overwhelming feeling was that we are all in this together,” he said.
“There are concerns about exposure not just in Brisbane but also on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast and that’s why we have included all the local government areas in-between and that includes an exposure site at Southport.”
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said Cr Tate had “clarified” his position on Tuesday morning.
It comes as Bulletin readers strongly backed a call by Cr Tate to exclude the Gold Coast from the South East Queensland lockdown while there are no new Covid-19 cases in the city.
Cr Tate said the lockdown on the Gold Coast – which was yesterday extended to 4pm on Sunday – should be lifted because the city had seen no cases of community transmission.
“Our livelihoods, especially in tourism and aviation, are on their knees and we need to be compassionate,” he said.
“I say to the Treasurer and the Premier, the Gold Coast should not be part of the lockdown, there is no cluster here.”
As of 11.30am on Tuesday the call was backed by 67% of the more than 1000 Bulletin readers who voted in a poll on this website asking whether the Mayor was right.
Readers were also quick to voice their support of the Mayor’s position in comments to this newspaper.
“The Gold Coast shouldn’t be in lockdown if we don’t have any active clusters,” wrote one.
“If there are people who have to travel to Brisbane for essential work then they should have to self-isolate when they are at home on the Gold Coast.”
Another called for a “ring of steel” around Brisbane so the lockdown could be lifted on the Coast.
“I rarely agree with Tate, but on this ... maybe,” he wrote.
“If we have no cases today or tomorrow on the Gold Coast, then we should consider locking down the roads from Brisbane and opening back up.
“Yes, Brisbane needs to be locked down and I support that 100%. And if we end up with cases here then I agree the Goldie should lock down too. But really what we should have is a ring of steel around Brisbane, and keep people in Brisbane from coming to the Gold Coast.”
Others spoke of the impact on Gold Coast businesses left reeling by the sudden imposition of the lockdown last Saturday.
“Yes, let us save our businesses,” one wrote. “With no community transmission, why are we in f**king lockdown? People’s mental health is suffering and they can’t pay their bills.”
MAYOR’S CALL FOR CITY TO BE EXCLUDED FROM LOCKDOWN
MAYOR Tom Tate has sensationally called on the state government to release the Gold Coast from its Covid lockdown, arguing the city was free of the deadly Delta strain.
The Gold Coast is one of 11 local government areas which are locked down because of the Brisbane outbreak, but has seen no community transmission.
Cr Tate, who has previously been a strong supporter of the Palaszczuk government and its measures, said she should exclude the city from the lockdown if there are no local cases of transmission either today or tomorrow.
He said the government needed to consider the “care factor” as well as the “health factor”.
“There should be a lockdown in Brisbane where the clusters are but the lockdown on the Gold Coast should be lifted,” he said.
“I’ll wait to see the figures but it should be lifted tomorrow because our livelihoods, especially in tourism and aviation, are on their knees and we need to be compassionate.
“I say to the Treasurer and the Premier, the Gold Coast should not be part of the lockdown, there is no cluster here.”
Cr Tate said the pandemic had been “devastating” to businesses and that many were facing closure.
“If everything is based on fact, leave the Gold Coast out of it,” he said.
The Bulletin has approached the State Government for comment about the Mayor’s call.
Business and tourism leaders have backed the mayor, warning the city was facing its “darkest hour”.
Queensland Airports Chris Mills said less than 1000 people travelled through Gold Coast Airport on Sunday, or less than 5 per cent of normal traffic.
“We all agree that health is the first priority, and we support a lockdown of the Gold Coast if there are active cases in our community. Until vaccination rates are higher, we are going to be exposed to the risk of lockdowns around the country,” he said.
“We haven’t been given any information to say why the Gold Coast has the same risk profile as Brisbane. I hope the Gold Coast is assessed on its own merits based on the results this week.
“Gold Coast tourism businesses were operating under extremely difficult conditions before the South East Queensland lockdown and things are worse now. Interstate travel is critical for the Gold Coast economy and we would like to see that restarted as soon as it is safe to do so. “The sooner the Gold Coast reopens, the sooner we can resume connections to key interstate markets which will help restart the local economy.”
Cr Tate has also written to federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, slamming both the existing financial measures as “unacceptable” and calling for greater direct fiscal support for tourism and aviation.
“They need to have a look at the JobKeeper again or accessing superannuation, it’s just that bad,” he said.
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“Why does (the financial help) take seven days to kick in? Once the decision has been made, with modern technology it should be one to two days.
“That leaves people seven days short because they live from week to week.
“It is disappointing they cannot move fast enough.”
Federal Government support payments of $750 a week for people losing more than 20 hours of work per week are available for those in lockdown - but the application form isn’t going to be available until August 7. Those losing eight to 20 hours a week will get $450.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has previously confirmed the Commonwealth assistance would be made available to millions of impacted residents in the 11 local government areas ordered to stay home from 4pm on Saturday.
In his letter, the mayor said he feared the current lockdown was “the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back for some”.
“The current lockdowns in Sydney, Melbourne and now southeast Queensland have added a new and most troubling dimension to this crisis and I seek your support again, particularly for our tourism and aviation sectors,” he wrote.
Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall said was “fully supportive” of opening the city up but warned already announced fiscal support was not good enough.
“Even with the $260 million on the table, that will only cover 52,000 businesses across the southeast while the Gold Coast alone has 66,000 small businesses.
“This support is too little so all we can do is survive until we can open again.”
Originally published as Mayor Tom Tate says he’s been ‘left in dark’ about Gold Coast exposure sites
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