Covid Qld: How the other quarantine white elephant could be salvaged

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has made an impassioned plea for how Brisbane’s “white elephant” quarantine hub could be used to address two crises deeply affecting people in the city.

Brisbane’s $400 million Pinkenba quarantine facility could be turned from a white elephant into a valuable asset by converting it into crisis housing for women and children escaping domestic violence, Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner has said in an impassioned plea.

The long-delayed quarantine facility, announced prior to the Wellcamp facility but yet to officially open, could be a vital tool to fight “the twin scourges of a housing crisis and domestic violence”, Cr Schrinner said as he urges the new Federal Government to take action.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“While I’m sure there will be bureaucrats who argue this facility wasn’t designed for this purpose, cars weren’t designed to be permanent accommodation either, however that’s the tragic alternative for an alarming number of people right now,” he said.

The Pinkenba proposal, a joint venture between the state and federal government’s, was meant to have 500 beds open at the end of 2021 and another 500 sometime this year, but it has faced multiple delays.

It has yet to be complete, with the Department of Finance confirming in June it had suffered further delays due to inclement weather.

The Pinkenba facility is one of two quarantine facilities approved to be built last year, with the Wellcamp one under fire for significant costs while housing very few people.

But unlike Wellcamp, which will be owned by the Wagner Group, the Pinkenba quarantine ownership will be retained by the Federal Government.

Cr Schrinner said the former Coalition government had previously proposed using the facility during natural disasters.

“As we face the twin scourges of a housing crisis and domestic violence coming together, the new Pinkenba facility has an important role to play,” he said.

“The alternative would be to allow the facility to sit empty while women and children are facing homelessness or left at risk of further.”

Quarantine facility being built at Pinkenba. Picture: Liam Kidston.

He said it may not be suitable for long-term accommodation, but it could be an important interim measure to make sure people don’t have to sleep in their cars.

“There are a number of organisations with the expertise who could run it on the government’s behalf,” Cr Schrinner said.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher was contacted for comment.

The Pinkenba facility is being built on the site of the Damascus army barracks near Brisbane Airport, with the Coalition government announcing it in June last year prior to Wellcamp being approved.

It is on a 29ha site, with the Federal Government paying for it if the State Government was to operate it.