Well, that's the end of question time in a week dominated by health and the performance of the government.
The Courier-Mail will continue coverage of parliament throughout the day.
Question Time: Queensland Government reveals when state expected to hit 90 per cent vaccine target
The State Government has revealed for the first time when Queensland is expected to reach the 90 per cent fully vaccinated target. QUESTION TIME BLOG
Queensland is expected to reach 90 per cent fully vaccinated by "very early" next year as authorities applaud the strong uptake in jabs over the past week.
It's the first time the state government has given an indication as to when Queensland would hit 90 per cent which under the roadmap would allow fully vaccinated people to finally travel overseas without quarantining when they return.
Queensland today recorded no new local Covid cases and one overseas-acquired detected in hotel quarainte.
FOLLOW QUESTION TIME BLOG BELOW
It comes as Vaccine Operations Coordinator, Acting Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said he was confident the state would hit 80 per cent by December 17 at the current rate.
"There's no question about that," he said.
Mr Chelepy said there were many variables that would lead Queensland to 90 per cent but that he expected to reach it in early 2022.
"Nsw and Victoria, they'll get to 90 per cent before us, but if you look at NSW, they were in a lockdown for eight weeks, so they really had an incentive to come out and get their freedoms back," he said.
"We need people to get vaccinated to hold our freedoms."
He said while there had been good uptake in some regions last week, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Mackay and the Isaac region were among those still lagging.
"We need to lift them fast," he said.
Mackay's jab rate grew by 4.6 per cent last week while Rockhampton's was just under 4 per cent.
The Acting Deputy Commissioner said authorities were still working through how police border checkpoints would operate when the state reached 80 per cent
Updates
QT concludes
Greens join Health Minister pile on
Greens' South Brisbane MP Amy MacMahon asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath why beds in Queensland hospitals have dropped below average with only 200 beds being added in the year from July 2020-21.
Ms D'Ath said the member "might not understand" the health system saying that the number flexes up and down throughout the year due to needs.
"We have already announced the purchase of 416 additional beds… We know we need extra beds," she said.
The minister also said that getting aged care and disability support patients out of hospitals and into facilities or back home would free up around 600 beds.
"This is the number one priority of every health minister in the country. We care about these people and they don't deserve to be spending time in hospital beds," she said.
– Rachael Rosel
Change of pace with KAP's CSIRO question
Katter's Australia Party MP Shane Knuth asked Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon whether the state government would consider purchasing the CSIRO site in Atherton which holds hundreds of species of native trees for preservation after it was closed by the federal government.
Ms Scanlon said it was a matter for the Commonwealth, but would investigate.
"I need to get some advice from the department about whether it could be considered," she said.
She said it was vital to ensure the state would get "value for money".
– Hayden Johnson
Claims that government hadn't prepared "serious"
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has been questioned once more on the health system by Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki who asked if she would say the government "failed" to get hospitals ready for the pandemic following 100 code yellows this year, and 31 in the last month.
Ms D'Ath said the claims that the government hadn't been preparing for the pandemic were "serious".
"Our hospitals across the state have been preparing and are prepared," she said.
"They know that anyone who walks into their hospitals with a cough… they will deal with it.
"But they will be under pressure, and there's one thing the opposition can do and that's to push vaccinations."
– Rachael Rosel
Crisafulli an "angry, angry, angry man"
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has asked Annastacia Palaszczuk whether she would show leadership and remove Health Minister Yvette D'Ath.
"Under Beattie, Gordon Nuttall lost his job over the Jayant Patel saga," he said.
"Under Bligh, two health ministers were moved on following the health payroll disaster and the fake Tahitian Prince scandal.
"Under this Premier, Queensland Health is in crisis."
The Premier said she rejected the premise of the question.
"I support the health minister," she said.
"I support this team."
Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Crisafulli was a "very angry, angry, angry man".
She then took aim at the LNP for sacking thousands of health workers under Campbell Newman.
– Domanii Cameron
D'Ath takes offence to system complaint
With two reviews underway at hospitals in Mackay and Caboolture, Opposition MP Andrew Powell has asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath whether she will "take responsibility for system failures which are putting lives at risk?"
Ms D'Ath said
"I do take offence to the member's claims about our health system," she said.
"I take every single complaint of the health system seriously.
"They know there will be adverse reactions and complications to surgery."
Ms D'Ath said people doing the wrong thing in the health system should be identified and dealt with through the "proper channels".
– Hayden Johnson
"How many nurses did you sack?"
Continuing the Opposition's line of questioning, education spokesman Christian Rowan has asked the Health Minister whether she would take responsibility for "failing to know what's wrong" with the health system.
He claimed the Minister was originally unaware of a review into the obstetrics services at the Mackay Hospital and that she didn't respond to issues at Caboolture Hospital until more than 100 people phoned in.
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper then yelled out; "How many nurses did you sack?"
Speaking to the review at Caboolture, Yvette D'Ath said when those matters came to light, the board chair of the Metro North HHS initiated an independent review.
– Domanii Cameron
More funding needed from the Commonwealth
Opposition MP Steve Minnikin has asked Health Minister Yvette D'Ath if she would "accept the failure" of hospitals that are experiencing increased ambulance ramping across southeast Queensland.
"I don't accept the premise of the question, our paramedics do an incredible job," she said.
Ms D'Ath added that patient waiting time had improved by 20 per cent from May to September, but said further improvement would require more resources from the federal government.
– Rachael Rosel
'Cyclone of Covid' is coming: Premier
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has told the House she'll speak to the mayors of communities with lagging vaccination rates as soon as Question Time is over, "just as I would if a cyclone was coming".
"Because a cyclone is coming," she said.
"A tsunami of Covid cases will follow people who are coming in from interstate and we must get prepared.
Ms Palaszczuk said there were 16 areas of concern where vaccination rates must improve.
They are:
– Callide
– Central Highlands
– Charters Towers
– Gold Coast hinterland
– Isaac
– Lockyer Valley
– Mackay and surrounds
– Murgon
– Rockhampton
– Sunshine Coast Hinterland
– Tablelands
– South and West of Cairns
– Some parts of Torres Strait and Cape York
– Townsville
– Toowoomba west to Miles
– Mt Isa, Cloncurry and Burke
The Premier said everyone on that list was at risk.
– Jessica Marszalek
Problems in Minister's own electorate: LNP
Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates has asked about the why orthopedic surgery was not being provided for category two and three patients at the Redcliffe Hospital, in Health Minister Yvette D'Ath's own electorate.
Ms Bates asked whether Ms D'Ath took responsibility for the failure.
Ms D'Ath did not respond to the question about orthopedic surgery, but instead referred to her election in 2014 and the state of the health system then.
"We have put millions of dollars of investment into this hospital," she said.
"I recall what was happening with our elective services.
"You couldn't even get to see a specialist."
Speaker Curtis Pitt asked the Health Minister to be relevant to the question.
Ms D'Ath said the government was looking at coordination between the Caboolture, Prince Charles and Redcliffe hospitals.
– Hayden Johnson
Read related topics:Vaccine rollout
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