Quarantine hub confirmed: Construction begins on Wellcamp facility

The State Government has announced construction of a 1000-bed quarantine facility is already under way near Wellcamp Airport. It comes after months of community division.

AUSMAT staff at the Howard Springs quarantine facility, which the Wellcamp facility would be modelled off. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL via NCA NewsWire

The State Government and Wagners have announced they are building a quarantine facility outside Toowoomba, just one day after a two-week pause on interstate arrivals.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made the announcement at Wellcamp on Thursday morning, with 500 beds expected to be available by the end of the year.

“I know John (Wagner) and John gets things done,” she said.

John Wagner told media the facility would be world class and an economic boost for Toowoomba.

Prime Minster Scott Morrison said the State Government had “been at liberty” to build the facility for months and the proposal did not meet national guidelines.

“The Queensland Government was always in a position to go ahead with the facility if that’s what they wish to do,” Mr Morrison said.

“They could have done that months ago...good for them.”

It’s the latest development in a saga that has stretched more than six months.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk first floated the idea of a Covid quarantine hub outside Toowoomba back in January.

The initial proposal, which would be built near Wellcamp Airport, included 1000 rooms and an additional 300 for staff and was modelled on the Howard Springs Facility in the Northern Territory.

Under the proposal, passengers would fly directly into the airport and disembark onto dedicated buses.

The first 500 rooms were expected to be constructed in just six weeks.

The proposal courted plenty of controversy, with a campaign against the facility backed by prominent city developer Clive Berghofer.

Despite a petition submitted to the State Government netting thousands of signatures, the Queensland Government stood firm on the concept.

The State and Federal government have been at constant loggerheads regarding the idea, leaving the concept in limbo for months.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison asserted for months that the proposal from the State Government lacked detail, while Ms Palaszczuk said her government needed to know if the Federal Government would support the idea.

Mr Morrison said a major issue with the facility would also be its proximity to a major capital city with a major hospital.

The facility would put on the backburner when the Federal Government and the State Government agreed to move ahead with a quarantine facility at Pinkenba.

But as recently as July the State Government said Wellcamp remained a viable option for quarantine and discussions were ongoing with the Federal Government.

Groom MP has repeatedly dismissed the State Government’s call for the facility, saying back in June the proposal should be considered dead.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told News Corp Australia back in July that the quarantine facility still needed to be fast-tracked.

“It makes sense, it’s on the table, and it’s the only one there that can be open in 12 weeks,” Mr Albanese said.

Originally published as Quarantine hub confirmed: Construction begins on Wellcamp facility