Analysis: Qld being left behind because of confusing message

Queensland is now trailing behind all the other states bar one on vaccination rates because our leaders just can’t get their message straight, writes Matthew Killoran.

Queensland has been incredibly lucky when it comes to the Delta strain of Covid-19, but its fortune has been a ­doubled-edged sword.

The consequence is that Queensland is now trailing behind all the other states bar one on vaccination rates, and we have the second-highest rate of vaccine hesitancy in the country, according to Tuesday’s exclusive YouGov poll.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk points to lack of supply as the cause for the slow rollout here, and the Morrison government’s mishandling of the ­vaccine rollout has much to answer for. But it’s more than that – and as more and more jabs become available the state is now being left behind.

So why is this so?

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has been behind some of the mixed messaging. Picture: David Clark

There is no doubt damage was done when chief health officer Jeannette Young said she did not want an 18-year-old to die due to the extremely rare, one-in-a-million blood-clotting side-effect in AstraZeneca.

Messaging is important and this did not just create fear for people aged 40 and under, but spread right through the ­community of all ages.

But there has been a more recent factor coming through in messaging from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Shortly after the state’s last lockdown ended in August, Ms Palaszczuk rightly urged Queenslanders to use that golden opportunity to go and get a jab.

But since then the political landscape changed – and so did her rhetoric. It was announced the state’s quarantine hotels were full, no matter that two-thirds of those seeking a room were Queenslanders and other Aussies moving here.

Then she announced a second purpose-built quarantine camp at Toowoomba, despite it not expected to be built before the end of the year, when the nation’s vaccination rates will top 80 per cent.

Queenslanders were left confused, questioning what the rush is to get the jab now if lockdowns and borders are to remain in place into the future.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is pushing states to back eased restrictions when vaccination rates hit key milestones. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

There’s no doubt politics plays a role in how the Premier and Prime Minister Scott Morrison talk about lockdowns.

The PM has latched on to community sentiment that, ­according to some sources, is shifting fast away from lockdowns. He is continuing to press for states to honour the national cabinet agreement for fewer and more targeted lockdowns when vaccination milestones are reached.

There is now even a slim chance there could be a snap election fought on the promise of increased freedoms.

The one truth is that the nation can’t stay locked down forever, and vaccines are vital.