Covid Qld: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s stance ‘damaging public confidence’

Annastacia Palaszczuk has been accused of misrepresenting the number of Covid deaths Australia faces, with the Federal Health Minister slamming her “selective misuse of modelling” as a breach of good faith that damages public confidence.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been accused of misrepresenting the number of Covid deaths Australia faces and undermining public confidence even as she called for “serious discussions” on the path forward.

But Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young defended the Premier from political fire, arguing Queenslanders needed to “understand what the risks are”.

In a highly charged parliamentary performance, Ms Palaszczuk relied on a single graph and extrapolated worst-case scenario Doherty modelling that relied on a reopening model not being proposed by any jurisdiction to warn of the impending body count.

“Doherty Institute modelling predicts that even with 70 per cent of the population vaccinated, 80 people will die each day from COVID once the outbreak reaches six months after it started,” she said.

“That is 2,240 who will die each month.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. NCA NewsWire / Sarah Marshall

Pointing to the situation in NSW, she repeatedly promised to protect Queenslanders, and asked LNP members if they were “on Queensland’s side or are you on the other side?”

But claims of mass death and children being left vulnerable under the national plan were blasted as “false, misleading and wrong” during a press conference with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt and Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly.

Federal authorities say the figures used represented what would happen with no restrictions in place, but that the national cabinet plan was for restrictions, quarantine and strong test, trace and isolate measures to remain in place at a 70 per cent vaccination rate.

Dr Young defended Ms Palaszczuk’s “responsible” comments that were repeated in a Tweet to 186,000 followers, telling reporters: “Our Premier has to make sure that our population in Queensland understands what the risks are.”

“They’re the figures, you can see them on the website,” she said.

“Well I believe it is (responsible),” she added.

“You’ve got to look at the extremes.

“If you look at the extremes you can then work out what you then need to do and that’s what modelling does for you.”

Mr Hunt disagreed it was responsible.

“She is selectively misusing the Doherty modelling, it breaches good faith and damages public confidence,” Mr Hunt said.

He said the Doherty Institute made it clear that “with optimal public health measures and no lockdowns this can be significantly reduced to 2787 infections and 13 deaths”.

Doherty Institute modelling shows if the country opened up at 70 per cent and the national plan was followed, the number of deaths in the first six months of an outbreak would be 12.

If there were no low level restrictions and test and trace measures were failing, in the worst case scenario deaths would be about 1456 in the first six months - lower than the Premier’s calculations.

Meanwhile, the Doherty Institute modelling specifically took into consideration children, Mr Hunt said following Ms Palaszczuk’s fears around the vulnerability of unvaccinated young children and calls for more modelled.

“The claim that children were not considered is false, wrong and inaccurate,” he said.

Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan said it was disgraceful for the Premier to use children as “blackmail” to justify harsh restrictions continuing.

Using a slang terms for an entitled person who makes unjustified demands, he said Ms Palaszczuk was “fast becoming ‘the Karen’ of the coronavirus pandemic for her heartless approach”.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly declined to address the Premier’s claims directly, to avoid politicisation of his role, but he said people needed to learn to live with Covid.

“There will be people that die from Covid,” Dr Kelly said.

He said there would be additional analysis around the Doherty Institute’s modelling presented at national cabinet on Friday, “looking at what we’re actually seeing on the ground in NSW”.

“For example, starting at a base of cases,” he said.