Pinkenba quarantine facility will be built, but there will be issues

The construction of a critical Covid-19 quarantine camp in Brisbane has been given the go-ahead by the federal government but the facility is expected to be ready months later than expected.

The construction of a critical Covid-19 camp in Brisbane has been given the go ahead by the federal government but the facility is expected to be ready months later than expected.

A study into whether a dedicated quarantine facility can be built on Defence land in Pinkenba has found the location suitable.

But the design of the 1000-bed facility, just 5km from Brisbane Airport, will require extra civil works to mitigate against flooding and significant noise from aeroplanes.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week said he “hoped” the dedicated quarantine facility would be up and running by Christmas this year.

The new facility at Pinkenba’s Damascus Barracks site could be up and running early next year.

This looks highly unlikely, with the federal government now estimating it will be up and running at some point between January and March 2022.

The quarantine hub will be designed as self-contained cabins able to house families with young children together, and will be set up so mild Covid-19 cases can be cared for on-site.

How much the project will cost remains unknown, with the decision to build on a known flood plain and the need to mitigate against noise likely to raise the price tag.

Constructions costs will be borne by the federal government and the day-to-day running of the facility will be handled by the Queensland government.

Moving forward the federal and Queensland governments will have to sign a memorandum of understanding before the project can go out to tender.

“This centre will increase our ability to safely return travellers into Australia for any ongoing quarantine requirements,” Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham says the Pinkenba facility will help pave the way for more return travellers. Picture: Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

“It will also help enhance our medium and long-term capability to respond to future pandemics or natural disasters.”

Australia’s international arrival caps remain at 3035 people a week, with Mr Morrison announcing on Friday that caps will increase for vaccinated travellers once 70 per cent of the country is fully vaccinated.

This is when alternative quarantine arrangements, like isolating at home, will kick in.

The federal government will use Victoria’s Mickleham quarantine hub as a template to get the project through bureaucratic checkpoints quicker.

The decision to build the quarantine hub in Pinkenba comes after the federal government quashed Queensland’s proposal to build the camp near Wellcamp in Toowoomba as the latter was not within an hour drive of a tertiary hospital among other issues.

Queensland has grappled with four Covid-19 leaks out of hotel quarantine in two months, with chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young this week admitting the system put was “clearly insufficient”.