Wellcamp extension considered as state government stays silent on guest invoices

The Palaszczuk government is under renewed pressure to justify the value of the Wellcamp quarantine centre amid revelations just a handful of people are occupying the 1000-bed facility.

The Palaszczuk government is unable to say how many of the 652 people who have stayed at the Wellcamp quarantine facility have been billed for the privilege.

At the height of the Omicron wave earlier this year the state government trumpeted the opening of the Wellcamp quarantine facility near Toowoomba, declaring it would house unvaccinated travellers and remove the need for hotel quarantine.

Unvaccinated arrivals sent to the facility were set to be billed the same amount as those who stayed in hotel quarantine; $3220 for an adult and more than $5000 for a family.

However, Queensland Health and the Department of State Development were unable to say how many invoices had been issued to people who had stayed at the facility since its opening in February.

The state government committed $48 million to the quarantine facility at Wellcamp Airport. Picture: Nev Madsen

A government spokeswoman said data invoices for travellers quarantined at Wellcamp were in the process of being finalised.

More than 78,000 invoices were issued under the hotel quarantine program over more than one year.

The Palaszczuk government is under renewed pressure to justify the value of the facility amid revelations just seven people are occupying the 1000-bed facility.

Since February 652 people have occupied at the facility, which now sits near empty after quarantine for unvaccinated international arrivals was scrapped last month.

The state government’s lease of the $190m Wellcamp quarantine facility is due to be renewed in February.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday refused to detail whether she would extend the lease with the Wagner Corporation – which owns the facility despite taxpayers pumping $48m into its construction – but declared the government would “look at all those issues when it comes to that”.

She declared her government acted to build a quarantine facility when the federal government did not.

“Scott Morrison failed to act and we now have a dedicated quarantine facility for whatever may happen in the future,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk won’t say if the government will extend the lease with the Wagner Corporation.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli called on the state government to reveal its plan for the facility before the lease expires early next year and slammed the expenditure despite Queenslanders never owning the facility.

“The issue with Wellcamp was it was to the tune of north of $200m for a facility that we have for 12 months, that currently has six people at a time when we have 500 vacant beds here and hotel rooms we’re still paying for,” he said.

“We’ve only got it for a few more months, despite that massive bill.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie said Wellcamp remained so empty, “they haven’t even had to change the bed sheets yet”.

“The government has run out of excuses – it’s time to front up, admit they botched it up, admit they have a white elephant,” he said.