PM slams Palaszczuk’s regional quarantine camp idea

Scott Morrison says Annastacia Palaszczuk’s plan to use mining accommodation for quarantine is simply ‘dumping’ a Brisbane problem on the regions. HAVE YOUR SAY

Regional Queenslanders don’t want “Brisbane problems dumped in the north”, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said as he criticised the Queensland Premier’s proposal to moving hotel quarantine to the mining accommodation.

It is an about face from Tuesday when he said he was open to the idea.

It follows meeting with Gladstone’s Mayor last night and Flynn MP Ken O’Dowd during his Queensland blitz.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a visit to Northern Oil Refinery in Gladstone on Thursday, January 21, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Mr Morrison said he had not seen the proposal but there were “clear concerns” in the region.

“For something like that to even be considered I think the premier would need to get the local Labor mayor on board, and I don’t think that’s happening at this point,” he said.

“They’ve got genuine issues that they’re raising. People here don’t want to see Brisbane issues dumped in the north.

“They have issues about what it means for local health.

“Any proposal the premier would want to bring forward, they would have to square those off.”

Pictures of the accommodation at a potential CQ quarantine camp.

He said there would need to be some form of trade off for any region taking on hotel quarantine.

“There would have to be some sort of net positive,” he said.

“If there was additional seasonal workers coming in through something like that, with a direct benefit to the region rather than just transferring a problem from one part of Queensland to another, that might be something locals could see some value in.”

His comments came after Gladstone Mayor Matt Burnett sent a letter of twelve questions to the Prime Minister and the Queensland Premier requesting “urgent clarification” about the potential Homeground Villages quarantine facility at Calliope.

Mr Burnett queried if the region and significant industries would be shut down if the virus escaped quarantine, support that would be provided to the region, and impacts for medical facilities, as well as tourism and real estate industries.

Letter to PM from Gladstone Mayor.

Letter to PM from Gladstone Mayor