Kickstart Qld: Hi-tech way to get around border lockdown
The blunt instrument of quarantine requirements threatens Queensland’s ability to attract talent, says the boss of one of Australia’s biggest property groups. But there is a hi-tech workaround.
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The boss of one of Australia’s biggest property groups says Queensland is in the box seat to lure the best and brightest in the country to move north but risks missing out because of the blunt quarantine requirements that require two weeks in hotels.
Ray White Group managing director Dan White said families who wanted to move to Queensland – and would be the engine room of our economic recovery and expansion – were thinking twice because they couldn’t face two weeks locked in a small room with their young families.
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He called on the State Government to look for other “smart” options like electronic tracking bracelets that would let families quarantine in homes but keep the community safe.
“Queensland real estate market has done really well the past couple of months, both regionally and in Brisbane,” Mr White, a fourth generation member of the real estate group founded in Queensland, said.
“Queensland really has an opportunity as the state of future opportunity.
“People are rethinking how they want to operate their businesses, where they want their staff to be based.
“It gives Queensland the (chance) to do something with that.
“If you look on the east coast, it has the huge benefit of housing affordability which in terms of mobility of people is the number one factor.
“A lot of people from other states have always thought about shifting to Queensland and wanting to but postponing it until the end of their working career.
“Now, with the decentralisation of the workforce and remote operations, places in southeast Queensland are far more desirable, to move there and work remotely.
“It’s a great opportunity for the government to be a little proactive in terms of harnessing this current opportunity, to market itself as a place for young people, as a place you can start a family, grow a family in a great environment but also financially to get into the housing market earlier and see the growth come through that.
“This next period is a great opportunity for Queensland if it’s up for it.
“It will only come through some really strong government leadership to make it happen.
“Not only through marketing itself as the smart state for young people but providing the right incentives around it.
“Infrastructure is no doubt going to continue to be an issue for Queenslanders with that vast regions.
“People probably held up moving from Melbourne and Sydney believing the prices there were always going to go up. You’d wait another few years and get more for your house.
“Maybe that expectation is waning a bit, people are probably saying ‘maybe we should cash out of Sydney or Melbourne to head north’.”
Mr White said the border shutdown and quarantine needed to be looked at.
He said young families with good prospects were putting off moving to Queensland with the mandatory two-week hotel quarantine.
“People can’t get to Queensland to do anything in respect to opportunities to buy something, to get a job.
“Young people aren’t going to go into hotel quarantine with kids.
“The lock out is unfortunately not providing any smart solutions to the problem,” Mr White said.
“It’s lock it down rather than coming up with a smarter answer here that does involve technology.
“They use ankle bracelets on sex offenders to put them back in the community.
“You’ve got people coming from Sydney who are family people unable to do the same thing.
“Policy response that does harness the opportunity to use technology, something out of the box, is what is required otherwise unfortunately we might miss the opportunity in Queensland.”
A State Government spokesman said it was not considering any options beyond hotel quarantine, including tracking bracelets.
