Exemptions staff slashed while residents remain stranded interstate

After the Premier told the unit in charge of border exemptions to “do better”, it has been revealed the number of staff in the department has been slashed despite more than 3000 outstanding applications.

THE number of Queenslanders stranded and unable to return home has not dropped in the past month with almost 3000 border exemption applications still unprocessed.

In late September 2997 requests were unprocessed, one month later and 2979 remain open.

Queensland Health’s exemption unit. responsible for granting access to Queensland from interstate hot spots New South Wales and Victoria, has been criticised for its slow or non-response to people facing genuine hardship.

In September Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk lashed out at the unit, demanding they “do better” and increase staff levels to “around 100” to cope with the demand.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Steve Pohlner

At its peak, there were 92 employees processing exemptions within the unit last month.

However, The Courier-Mail can reveal – despite a growing number of people attempting to relocate and locked-out Queenslanders still living in their cars on the New South Wales border – there are currently 85 staff in the unit.

A Queensland Health spokeswoman said the number of people within the unit “fluctuates as staff are mobilised during peak periods and then return to their home agencies”.

The number of staff has increased significantly in previous months, with 38 in July compared to 65 in August.

Residents locked out of the state since August 25 are now set to wait until November 19 – when the state will ease its border restrictions – before they are able to return and home quarantine, despite Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski last week revealing a trial of 1000 people in October had gone “extremely well”.

Health Minister Yvette D'Ath did not say whether the state would make a decision on home quarantine for stranded Queenslanders before November 19. Picture: Tara Croser

Chief Health Officer Peter Aitken on Tuesday said the state’s home quarantine trial was “still being evaluated”

“We’re also looking at the results of a trial that was conducted in South Australia and the results of that were due to be reported back to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee,” he said.

“We’ll consider the results of the South Australian trial and the Queensland trial and move from there.”

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tertius Pickard

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath did not respond to a request for comment about the expansion of home quarantine, or whether a decision would be made for stranded Queenslanders before November 19.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli called for the government to urgently expand home quarantine and allow Queenslanders trapped over the border to return home.

“If this trial has been deemed successful it must be rolled out across the state,” he said.

“Queenslanders are crying out to get home.

“We’ve heard of families living in their cars waiting to cross the border, simply to get home.”