Queensland’s quarantine camp plan ‘lacks crucial detail’

Annastacia Palaszczuk has again pushed for help from the Federal Government in setting up a quarantine camp near Toowoomba.

Positive COVID-19 cases who have been quarantining at a regional camp in Queensland would be ferried to a Brisbane hospital via ambulance.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday revealed the new details while insisting the quarantine hubs were a joint responsibility between the states and the Commonwealth.

Asked what Queensland needed from the Federal Government, and why the Sunshine State couldn’t go it alone, Ms Palaszczuk said, “You need flights to be able to come into the regional quarantine hubs.”

“Let me also say that this is a good, sound proposal,” she said.

“It makes good sense and if you’re talking about hot spots, it actually avoids having businesses to shut down for periods of time because it is contained close to an airport and away from townships.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk at a press conference in Brisbane. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The State Government has been calling on the Commonwealth to support a proposal for a 1000-bed facility to be built near Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport – owned by the Wagner group.

The Premier, who said she spoke to John Wagner last night, said positive cases would be taken to a Brisbane hospital via ambulance.

Defending Queensland’s plan amid comments from the Commonwealth that only limited details had been provided, Ms Palaszczuk said her government was working closely with the Federal Government.

“There is dialogue that is happening,” she said.

“It makes sense.

“Our hotels were not meant to be controlling infectious disease.”

The Courier-Mail today revealed Queensland’s plan had largely been provided to the Federal Government in dot points and lacked crucial details about how the facility would operate.

It’s understood the Morrison Government requested “significantly more detail” on the Queensland proposal even as Deputy Premier Steven Miles said yesterday the issue was “largely in the federal government’s court now”.

Ms Palaszczuk has been repeatedly calling for the federal government to support a proposal for a 1000-bed facility to be built near Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.

Mr Miles ramped up the pressure yesterday, claiming the Queensland Government had “put forward a lot of information” and “answered a lot of questions”.

“Now it’s really up to the federal government to decide whether they will act to keep communities safe,” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not ruled out regional quarantine hubs but federal officials are urgently seeking more details about how the state would run and manage a facility.

It’s understood the Queensland plan was not a formal proposal but mostly a series of dot points that failed to provide or develop critical health, security and safety information.

The plan also failed to explain if COVID-19 patients would be treated locally at Toowoomba Base Hospital or would need to be transported to Brisbane or another facility.

It also does not have information on how medical care and mental health support would be provided, security and cleaning arrangements and overall operational management.

A Federal Government spokesman said only limited details had been provided to date but they were happy to work with the Queensland Government assessing the proposal.

“This a Queensland Government proposal,” he said.

“The Commonwealth continues to seek significantly more information on how the Queensland Government plans to establish and operate any potential facility in Toowoomba.”

It’s understood a separate proposal from the owners of Wellcamp Airport provides details about the proposed quarantine facility.

It comes as the powerful Queensland Vice Chancellor’s Committee, which represents all the state’s universities, has thrown its weight behind the Toowoomba proposal, saying it could provide a “small scale and graduated” pathway for the safe return of international students.

Committee chairwoman and James Cook University Vice-Chancellor Sandra Harding said returning Australians would remain the priority but a slow return of international students could help the community gain confidence that it could be done safely.

“Our concern is that if we don’t open up in that graduated safe way students who would have come here will decide to go elsewhere. And once they do they’ll remain in another country or another state potentially for the three to four years of their degree,” Prof Harding said.