Hotel quarantine coming to an end as Premier agrees to reveal cost of Wellcamp
The Palaszczuk Government has finally revealed the cost to the taxpayer of the Wellcamp quarantine facility in Toowoomba after previously saying it was commercial in confidence, but the eight-figure sum is understood to be just a fraction of the cost for the entire project.
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Taxpayers forked out $48.8m on capital costs for the state government’s Wellcamp quarantine facility in Toowoomba, it can be revealed.
The new figure, which has previously been kept secret because of commercial-in-confidence, is understood to be just a fraction of the cost for the entire project and doesn’t include the cost of the 12-month lease to Wagner Corporation.
It comes after Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday declared she would release the secret cost of her government’s Toowoomba quarantine facility if the federal government revealed how much it’s paying for Pinkenba in Brisbane.
After six months of refusing to reveal how much taxpayers are forking out for Wellcamp, insisting the bill was commercial-in-confidence, the Premier on Wednesday pointed at the Commonwealth’s facility due to open later this year.
It comes as the state’s hotel quarantine system is all but over, with just one person left, and they are expected to leave later on Wednesday.
BREAKING: Queensland’s first fit-for-purpose regional quarantine facility has officially opened at Wellcamp.
— Steven Miles (@StevenJMiles) February 16, 2022
“Now the federal government is also building a Pinkenba facility,” she said earlier on Wednesday, under sustained questions from reporters.
“If at some stage they want to release those costs we are more than happy to release our costs.”
Pressed on why that was a bar for releasing information, Ms Palaszczuk said there seemed to be “one standard for the state and one standard for the federal government”, while again insisting Wellcamp was commercial-in-confidence.
But the Commonwealth has committed to revealing the total cost of Pinkenba once the project has finished.
It last week revealed $1.3b had been allocated for its three centres for national resilience – which includes Pinkenba – and that the expected total cost for its Melbourne centre was about $580m.
It’s understood Pinkenba will cost between $350m and $400m.
Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner has said on several occasions that he didn’t want the cost disclosed.
“That’s a matter for ourselves and the government to discuss but I really feel quite strongly that we bid it, and we don’t want people knowing what our commercial deals are,” he told The Courier-Mail last month.
The government is leasing the 1000-bed facility off Wagner Corporation for one year, with the first 500 beds having opened earlier this month.
The lease can be renewed for a further 12 months if the government needs.
After the government has finished using the facility, it will be turned over to Wagner Corporation.
Speaking from Wellcamp, the Premier and Deputy Premier Steven Miles on Wednesday defended the facility, with Ms Palaszczuk assuring Queenslanders it would be put to good use.
They said it would be used for a raft of reasons, including unvaccinated international arrivals, seasonal workforces whose vaccinations don’t meet TGA requirements and for people needing to isolate but who cannot at home.
Since opening earlier this month, 60 people have stayed there.
The current guests are a mix of unvaccinated travellers and mariners.
The Premier revealed there was now just one person left in the state’s hotel quarantine system, and that they were expected to leave later today.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was very proud of the facility and that she was “future proofing this state” for whatever “is thrown our way”.
“We don’t know what’s going to come around the corner,” she said.
The Premier said the facility was state-of-the-art, and that it was her understanding it cost less than similar hubs across the country.
Mr Miles said a huge emphasis had been placed on sourcing local staff and using local businesses.
Mr Wagner said 85 per cent of everything on site had been bought from the Toowoomba region.
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