What Scott Morrison really thinks of Wellcamp quarantine plan

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the State Government’s proposal for COVID quarantine camp near Toowoomba wasn’t even worth assessing. Here’s why.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s proposal for a COVID-19 quarantine facility near Toowoomba lacked “the detail necessary” to even be assessed by the Federal Government.

While Ms Palaszczuk submitted a proposal last week to use the facility in Wellcamp just before National Cabinet, The Courier-Mail can reveal Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been forced to seek more detail with the document lacking substance.

“I note that the outline of the concept proposal you have provided for the Wellcamp option does not provide the detail necessary to make an assessment of the proposal at this stage,” he wrote, according to sources familiar with the correspondence.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison wrote to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying the quarantine proposed lacked detail. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Peter Lorimer

The Premier’s office has defended its initial proposal, saying Ms Palaszczuk was willing to work through the details but it was Federal Government responsibility to bring any quarantine plans to fruition.

Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio said there had not been consultation from the State Government, or information on what would happen if an outbreak were to occur in the regional centre.

“There’s an awful lot of knowledge we don’t have,” he said.

“(If there’s an outbreak) are our hospitals going to shut down, is our community shut down. This community has a right to know what’s actually happening.”

Groom MP Garth Hamilton said there had been growing concern and anxiety raised with him, not just from vulnerable residents, but businesses and health and hospital communities.

He said questions were being asked if there was enough ICU capacity, isolation rooms available and enough pathology to run rapid tests in the event on an outbreak.

“The community support is not there, and that comes down to the Premier not consulting with them,” Mr Hamilton said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has proposed a COVID-19 quarantine facility in Toowoomba. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“The Premier took Queensland’s safety to the election and won it on the basis of keeping us safe. I’d ask her to keep that promise.”

A spokesman for the Premier said Toowoomba was close to Brisbane and the Gold Coast hospital facilities and that hotels were not designed for the quarantine work they were being used for.

“Those are issues we’re willing to work through. The Premier says quarantine is a shared responsibility,” he said.

“Something like this is a good idea, but it will take the good faith of the Federal Government working with other levels of government to bring it to fruition.

“This pandemic is going to be with us for the medium term and we have to examine arrangements that will be better for everybody.”