Use of consultants on Wellcamp quarantine hub slammed as ‘waste of money’ by LNP

The LNP has smashed the Palaszczuk Government’s use of consultants after “awarding a contract” for the construction of Wellcamp as a waste of taxpayer money.

Taxpayers are footing the bill for external consultants to help deliver the state government’s heavily spruiked Wellcamp regional quarantine facility.

The revelation has sparked criticism from the Opposition which claimed the use of consultants seemed like a waste of money.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Liam Kidston

The day after The Courier-Mail revealed the state’s quarantine hotels were at capacity, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk travelled to Toowoomba to announce Queensland was going it alone with the regional hub, with Wagner Corp to build the Wellcamp facility.

Construction has begun with the first 500 of 1000 beds expected to come online by the end of the year.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said EY and PwC were working with an interagency group made up of representatives from State Development, Queensland Health, Queensland Police Service and Treasury to work on both Wellcamp and the Pinkenba facility proposed by the Commonwealth.

It’s understood a team of consultants recently began working out of 1WS.

Mr Miles said both consultancies had worked with other jurisdictions on their local quarantine arrangements and brought that expertise to the development and operations of the two quarantine hubs.

The cost of Wellcamp is unknown, with Ms Palaszczuk previously citing commercial in confidence.

Wellcamp quarantine centre under construction. Picture: David Clark

It’s also not known how much the government is paying EY and PwC.

Opposition finance spokesman Jarrod Bleijie said it seemed like a “complete waste of taxpayers’ money” to engage consultants after “awarding a contract” for the construction of Wellcamp “in a non-competitive tender process”.

“Cameron Dick promised Queenslanders that the government would only be using consultants in limited circumstances and I question whether this is a circumstance that needs external consultants,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Miles said the Morrison Government has engaged consultants for the development of their quarantine facilities at Pinkenba and Mickleham in Victoria.

“And now they’ve outsourced planning for future quarantine facilities to a lobbying firm, but so far, Scott Morrison has failed to provide a quarantine solution for Queensland and so we are building one,” she said.

Mr Miles said Wellcamp was on time and on budget.