Scott Morrison blasts Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ‘shakedown politics’ during Covid pandemic

Annastacia Palaszczuk has fired back at Scott Morrison’s claim she is using “extortion” by refusing to open the border unless the federal government stumps up extra cash for Queensland’s hospitals.

Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland has been crying out for more Commonwealth support for the state’s overwhelmed health system and fired back at Scott Morrison’s claim she was using “extortion” to secure extra health funding.

Mr Morrison on Tuesday said the Premier was “going to hold the federal government to ransom and to seek to extort from them money on the basis of Covid” following her warning the state’s border would not open unless the issue of extra health funding could be addressed.

When asked to respond to the Prime Minister’s claims she was attempting extortion, Ms Palaszczuk said “I don’t believe that no, not at all”.

The Premier praised the “spirit of co-operation” among state and territory leaders who united to call for more Commonwealth funding for their health systems.

“These are pressures that are being felt right around the country,” she said.

“We want to make sure that our hospitals are getting ready.”

Ms Palaszczuk defended questions about why it had taken 18 months to raise concerns about the under pressure hospital system despite Health Minister Yvette D’Ath acknowledging it was “under extensive pressure and demand prior to Covid”.

“No we’ve been raising it, actually, other premiers have been raising it as well,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“This is nothing new, at the height of this pandemic it has been extraordinary to see the increase in presentations.”

The Premier hit back at “hypothetical” questions about whether hospitals could cope with the virus when borders open and cases surge.

“They haven’t had to deal with a Delta outbreak like NSW and Victoria before,” she said.

“We have all of the processes in place, people are working incredibly hard around the clock.

“We need to get as many people in Queensland vaccinated as possible and that will then ease the pressure on the hospitals when the outbreak does come.”

Ms D’Ath said Mr Morrison was targeting Queensland despite every state and territory leader signing the three letters calling for extra support.

“This isn’t just about Queensland,” she said.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: Ian Currie

Earlier, Health Minister Greg Hunt said holding Queenslanders to ransom by refusing to open the border unless the federal government stumped up extra health cash was a questionable and “grave” use of Covid-19 rules,

Mr Hunt called on the Queensland government to explain if trying to squeeze extra health funding from the Commonwealth in exchange for reopening the border in line with the national plan was “within the law and the spirit” of public health orders.

In his strongest criticism of the state yet, the Health Minister said if Queensland’s hospitals weren’t ready to handle a surge in Covid-19 cases 20 months into the pandemic, this was a “fundamental failure of duty and responsibility” by state authorities.

Mr Hunt’s criticism comes amid a back and forth on whether Queensland’s health system is ready for Covid-19 cases to surge, a debate sparked by the Premier’s comments on Friday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would not “put Queenslanders at risk” by opening up unless the federal government provided extra, shared 50/50 health funding, uncapped funding and a funding guarantee until June 30.

Since then the federal government, including Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has hit back at Queensland, saying health system funding had increased by 99 per cent at a Commonwealth level since the Coalition last came into government compared to just 55 per cent on a state level.

Mr Hunt argued that under a deal signed months ago, Covid-19 health costs are already shared 50:50 between the federal and state governments.

“If Queensland’s system is struggling now, without Covid-19 cases, they should be very clear,” he said.

“Because that would be a fundamental failure of duty and responsibility.

“Having said that, all of their advice to the commonwealth is that they’re prepared.”

On 4BC Radio on Tuesday morning, Mr Morrison accused Ms Palaszczuk of playing “shakedown politics” in relation to hospital funding and the reopening of the state’s borders.

Mr Morrison told 4BC Radio on Tuesday morning that Ms Palaszczuk was attempting to “extort money” by suggesting she would not reopen Queensland’s borders unless the federal government increased funding for hospitals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: Gary Ramage

Meanwhile, Former Labor leader Bill Shorten told the Today Show “the nation needs to get ready for life after Covid and that means protecting our hospitals”

“The Federal Government has got to come to the party...We have to do everything we can to cope and live alongside Covid.”

“Just like they had JobKeeper I think there is a role for ‘HospitalKeeper’ – to make sure we have the resources for this pandemic.”

Mr Shorten said at the last election there was a proposal to increase funding for hospitals.

“The fact of the matter is the Federal Government gets the lion’s share of the taxes we pay in Australia and they divide that up based on various state priorities.”

“Our hospitals need more support – it’s a fact of life and the Federal Government in my opinion has been a delinquent partner in properly funding hospitals”

“I don’t think it’s enough for the government to say that’s not our problem because already the Federal Government does provide some funding for hospitals – I just think as the facts change the government has got to turn up to work.”

Ms Palaszczuk recently said more funding was needed so hospitals could cope once the borders reopen and “Delta spreads like wildfire”.

Mr Morrison said he would not be drawn into Ms Palaszczuk’s political games.

“We’re not going to respond to shakedowns in the pandemic,” he said.

Mr Morrison said Queensland was responsible for its own public hospital system and that it “has had 18 months to two years to get ready for this.”

“What was it? ‘Queensland hospitals are for Queenslanders’, I think the Premier said,” Mr Morrison said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Dan Peled

He claimed his government had increased funding for Queensland’s public hospitals “by almost 100 per cent”.

“(Yet) the Queensland government has increased funding by just over 50 per cent … so they need to sort their problems in Queensland.”

“The CHO in Queensland said they can cope from the surge that will come from Covid … she seems to be at odds with the Premier.”

“I am not going to play politics with hospital funding.

“As a state government they need to be responsible for their state health system.”

Mr Morrison urged Queenslanders to get vaccinated so that the state could reopen with the rest of the country.

“Next month NSW and Australian residents will be able to travel overseas and return, Australians who are overseas will be able to fly back to Sydney next month. I would love to see that happening in Queensland,” he said.”

“I would love people to be able to take a holiday in Queensland before they can take one overseas but it would seem that they will get the chance in Fiji or Bali before they will in Queensland at the moment. ”

Mr Morrison said he was “devastated” that people can’t even go back to their home in this country at the moment.

“We have worked hard to save over 30,000 lives … we have worked hard to save livelihoods … but I want people to have their lives back,” he said.

“That’s what I want and that’s what the national plan is designed to achieve.

“It’s important that we are able to move forward … sure that comes with some changes and additional pressure in the short term particularly as we move through that but we have to move through that.”