Covid Qld: Premier refuses to confirm whether interstate Christmas trips will be possible amid doubt over Doherty plan

Queensland could still pull out of the plan to open up the country once vaccination targets are hit, with the Premier refusing to confirm whether Queenslanders can look forward to an interstate holiday this Christmas until she sees new modelling.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has not ruled out pulling out of the Doherty Institute’s plan to open up Australia, insisting she needs to see new modelling on Friday.

The incredible position came as the Queensland Premier could not answer whether Queenslanders could look forward to an interstate holiday this Christmas.

Announcing six new Covid cases on Tuesday, although none of concern to authorities, Ms Palaszczuk repeatedly warned of the threat of Covid leaking across the border, and encouraged NSW residents not to “give up” on controlling their outbreak.

Asked twice whether there was a possibility she could withdraw from the current plan to ease restrictions based on what Friday’s updated modelling says, she said: “Well I haven’t seen anything yet.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Ms Palaszczuk called for the modelling to be released early so leaders could get across it before Friday’s meeting.

She said she remained committed to reaching 80 per cent vaccination rates, although would prefer those rates to be higher.

Discussing how the plan outlined that lockdowns would move to targeting specific regions at 80 per cent vaccination coverage, she added “that was all predicated on 30 cases across Australia, not 13,000”.

“So I’m looking forward to seeing that modelling,” she said.

She said “nowhere in the world yet” had found the answer on how to deal with the pandemic, but Australia would observe what was happening overseas to “look at that best practice and incorporate that into our practices”.

She said she wanted a plan “that is in the best interest of our citizens”.

Her comments follow Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday saying Australians couldn’t “stay in the cave”, no matter how much some wanted to.

Asked about the analogy, Ms Palaszczuk suggested Queensland wasn’t in a cave.

“I just say, have a look out in Queensland at the moment,” she said.

“You can go to work, you can go to school, you can go watch sport, you can play community sport, you can go to a restaurant, you can go out.

“We haven’t given up.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she believed the people of NSW did not want to “give up” getting on top of their current outbreak.

And she suggested borders wouldn’t reopen until they were, telling reporters she couldn’t answer whether Queenslanders would be able to visit interstate family at Christmas.

“At the moment the borders are shut and, you know, we don’t know when they’re going to come out of their current outbreak,” she said.