Question Time has wrapped up.
Family tests negative after initially refusing and forcing school staff, students into isolation
A family at the centre of a coronavirus scare at a Gold Coast school has test negative. It comes as a number of "concerning situations" continue to unfold across the state.
The principal of the Gold Coast school embroiled at the centre of the coronavirus scare has confirmed a family connected to the campus has tested negative to Covid-19.
The Australian International Islamic College at Carrara was forced into lockdown and staff, teachers and students were ordered to isolate after two students boasted to classmates that they had travelled to Melbourne with their family.
But news the family has tested negative means the Carrara campus will re-open and there is no need for students and staff to isolate.
"It is with relief that I inform you that all results for the Gold Coast family who have been the subject of investigation have come back negative," Australian International Islamic College principal Christine Harman wrote to families.
"Having conferenced with Queensland Health they have deemed that there is no risk of exposure at our Carrara campus and the need for students and staff to isolate has been lifted."
She said Friday was a scheduled student free day and students would be free to return to campus on Monday.
"Again, I would like to thank our College community, and the community at large for the genuine care and compassion they have expressed during this time," Ms Harman wrote.
The family of five, which includes three children under the age of 10, was forced into quarantine and initially refused to undergo Covid testing.
Earlier, chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said the children were showing symptoms but she wasn't sure if it was Covid.
"I desperately hope this family will allow us to test them, it's critical," she said.
Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said police were alerted after the children revealed to classmates that the family had travelled to Melbourne.
In response to their initial reluctance to get tested, Dr Young said there would be ramifications for the entire school if they did not get tested.
"If the children are not tested, the entire school will need to quarantine for 14 days."
Dr Young said there were a number of "concerning situations" unfolding across Queensland, including a Covid-positive truck driver who continued working for five days on the Gold Coast while infectious.
"That is concerning, given that it happened over the past five days," she said.
The truck driver tested positive on August 27 and was active in the community until September 1.
Another truck driver has tested positive in NSW but was in Queensland on Thursday at Goondiwindi and Archerfield.
"He was here, and we put up a number of exposure sites."
Dr Young asked all those to come forward and get tested if they were there at time of listings.
She said she was "very worried about these cases" and urged Queenslanders to get vaccinated so the state hit the 80 per cent target.
"We are going to see a spread if enough people are not vaccinated - we will see what is happening in New South Wales and Victoria."
Dr Young said they will "probably" still need to use snap lockdowns and similar methods even if the state hits 70 per cent vaccination rate.
Earlier, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said the Australian International Islamic College at Carrara was closed after it appeared a family of five returned to Queensland from Melbourne.
Ms D'Ath told parliament early indications were the family evaded detection by travelling to the Gold Coast via an inland route.
She said the family was in hotel quarantine but is "refusing to be tested and so far is not cooperating with authorities".
The school has been closed and students sent home.
"This is a difficult situation," Ms D'Ath said.
Meanwhile, the principal of a Gold Coast school forced to close due to a Covid-19 scare has described the incident as “unsettling” in a letter to parents.
The Carrara campus of the Australian International Islamic College has closed after a family of five linked to the school – which has about 200 students - appeared to have recently returned to Queensland from Melbourne.
Principal Christine Harman told parents she had been working closely with Queensland Health on the emerging situation.
“Our College became aware that members of our Carrara campus community may have returned from a Covid-19 hotspot,” she said.
“Based on our initial inquiries and the early information that we received we were unable to determine whether they had undertaken the mandatory hotel quarantine period of the manner by which they entered the state
“As a result, we immediately took proactive and precautionary steps to safeguard our school community and contacted the appropriate authorities to investigate our concerns.”
Ms Harman went on to “reassure all families” that the school was not currently dealing with a confirmed Covid-19 case, “but rather a potential quarantine or border entry issue”.
Earlier Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called for the family, which has been forced into quarantine, to "cooperate with authorities".
Ms Palaszczuk warned the situation facing New South Wales and Victoria was "increasingly grim" amid warnings ventilators should be prioritised for people who were likely to survive.
The Premier revealed the Cairns Convention Centre would become the state's latest mass vaccination hub from September 10 when people could receive their first dose.
She also hit back at widespread criticism from the Opposition and health experts over a call for an investigation into how children would be affected by Covid-19 - declaring it was a "serious issue" which required a serious discussion.
Ms Palaszczuk called for people to be constructive, "rather than attacking".
Ms Palaszczuk said she wanted a "detailed paper" on the health impacts "that I can read and share with my Cabinet and share with Queenslanders".
"I have asked for more information about unvaccinated children," she said.
"This is a serious issue that needs a serious discussion.
"These are questions that I want answers to. These are questions that Queenslanders want answers to.
"So rather than everyone attacking, let's get the answers and let's have serious discussions.
"That is what needs to happen."
However, health experts have declared children are less likely to be affected by Covid-19 - with Queensland Health insisting there was little evidence of more serious illness among people under 12.
It is the last sitting day of a week dominated by the government's response to Covid-19.
Ms Palaszczuk has been accused of scaremongering by political foes and lacking common sense by “appalled” top doctors as she seizes on children's welfare as the reason she still can’t lay out a plan for reopening the state.
The Premier is also expected to provide a Covid-19 update after several exposure sites were listed at Bundamba, Goondiwindi and Archerfield on Wednesday.
Updates
Transition to renewables
Greens MP Amy MacMahon has asked Resources Minister Scott Stewart what the government's plan is to transition Queensland to renewables.
Mr Stewart said the Queensland government took climate change very seriously, which was why it had recently launched its climate plan.
He said the question probably would have been directed towards Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon.
He said the government remained committed to coal projects, as long as they stacked up environmentally, insisting the Sunshine State would be a coal exporter for many years to come.
– Jack McKay
Independent, external review into surgical services
LNP health spokeswoman Ros Bates has asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath about Caboolture Hospital.
The Minister said she had answered questions about the hospital in recent days.
"We set up a hotline because we wanted to hear directly from the community," she said.
"We want to hear from the public if they've got concerns."
Ms D'Ath said Metro North had set up an independent review into surgical services as a measure of transparency.
– Jack McKay
"Here is the plan"
Ms Palaszczuk has faced a question this time from the Opposition's small and family business spokesman Brent Mickelberg, who cited commentary from the CCIQ which said the Premier's non-commitment on reopening the state had negatively affected business confidence.
He also used his turn to question where the government's plan for recovery was.
"Here is the plan," the Premier said, brandishing the Queensland Economic Recovery Plan document.
"That is the plan that Queenslanders voted on."
Ms Palaszczuk took the opportunity to continue reading media articles about how the world's children were being affected by Covid-19.
"Let me pick up where I left off earlier… We were talking about children," she said.
"My concerns are very clear about what happens if the Delta strain comes through.
"These are real issues that need to be addressed."
– Hayden Johnson
Grilling continues over pathway out of pandemic
Opposition frontbencher Amanda Camm has asked where Queensland's plan out of Covid-19 is and what the health advice is.
Ms Camm accused the government of mixed messaging which had "smashed" business confidence in sectors like tourism.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk responded, "Perhaps we should look at how tourism is going in NSW at the moment."
She asked the Opposition whether their questions this morning had been written by the Commonwealth, claiming there was no depth of talent on that side of the House.
– Domanii Cameron
"Let's go through it" - Premier reads out media articles
LNP education spokesman Christian Rowan has asked Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about her comments regarding the vaccination of children.
Dr Rowan asked her what the plan was and where the health advice was.
The Premier responded by saying she had been waiting for this question.
She said worldwide, there were concerns about children who were not vaccinated.
"Let's go through it," she told the House, as she proceeded to read out a series of media articles and case numbers from other parts of the world.
– Jack McKay
'Release the plan and health advice'
Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki asked Ms Palaszczuk to release the plan and health advice about her decision to pause hotel quarantine and prevent Queenslanders from returning home.
The Premier said Queensland's hotels would "be opened up as quickly as possible".
"We have taken double the capacity from international arrivals, we have taken 3000 extra people in from international arrivals," she said.
"If the hotels are full, the hotels are full."
– Hayden Johnson
Exemptions unit speaks with Memphis' parents
The Premier has been asked why Queensland kids, like three-year-old Memphis who is stuck in NSW, can't come home.
Memphis' story was revealed in The Courier-Mail today.
Ms Palaszczuk said she'd been advised the exemptions unit had spoken to his parents.
– Domanii Cameron
Question Time kicks off - Path out of Covid-19
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has questioned the Premier about her "policy shift" to vaccinate children before reopening the state.
He asked Annastacia Palaszczuk where the plan was and what health advice was being relied upon.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey raised a point of order, suggesting there were inferences in the question.
But Ms Palaszczuk responded to the question, however labelled it "deliberately misleading".
She said at national cabinet, she raised the issue around children and that the Prime Minister agreed to do more research.
She insisted Queensland was doing everything to meet the national plan, including the acceleration of the vaccine rollout.
"We're waiting for supply, Mr Speaker," the Premier said.
Ms Palaszczuk urged Opposition MPs to go back to their electorates and to talk to their local constituents.
The suggestion was met with a rowdy reception from Opposition MPs.
"Go home, talk to your constituents," the Premier said.
-Jack McKay
No evidence to suggest Delta affects kids differently
Minister Mark Bailey has defended Annastacia Palaszczuk's comments about children and Covid-19, saying a lot had changed in the past month.
According to Queensland Health's own website, which is dated August 5, there is no evidence as yet to suggest the highly-contagious Delta variant affects children any differently.
"Infection rates in young children remain lower than other age groups despite the absence of vaccination," the website reads.
"There is no evidence that Delta variant causes more serious illness in children specifically.
"Reassuringly data from the UK suggests admission rates for children have not increased despite emerging reports across the world that admission to hospital may be increased in young adults compared to previous variants."
Pressed on this recent update, Mr Bailey said a lot had happened over the past four weeks.
"Let's get real about this, this Delta variant is the worst to date," he said.
"That's what we're responding to."
Asked whether parents should be worried about their children catching Covid-19, Mr Bailey referred to the 330 kids hospitalised each day in the US because of Delta.
"We don't want to see kids at risk in Queensland or this country," he said.
"I think the Premier is spot on to be concerned.
"What she wants to see is more research and for us to be fully briefed in terms of the health implications of what Delta means for all age groups.
"I think that's the responsible thing to do."
– Domanii Cameron
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