Coronavirus: Queensland owes NSW millions in hotel quarantine bills

Queensland owes NSW about $40 million for putting up citizens in hotel quarantine and hasn’t paid a cent.

Queensland still owes NSW about $40 million for putting up citizens in hotel quarantine and hasn’t paid a cent after welching on the deal struck by the board of treasurers last year.

It can be revealed NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has issued a second invoice to Queensland, WA and the NT after each state failed to pay up last year.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Josh Woning

Queensland still owes NSW $39.8 million, with another $10 million owing between WA and the NT.

Victoria and Tasmania have paid their bills in full, with SA and the ACT expected to pay.

Most of the cost was accrued before the cost of hotel quarantine was shifted to individuals last year.

When hotel quarantine commenced, the board of treasurers struck an arrangement where each state would pick up the cost of their returning residents to ensure fairness, as NSW was housing and continues to house the majority of returned travellers.

However, The Telegraph has learned that even now, on top of the cost paid by individuals to quarantine, the government is continuing to financially subsidise each place.

It is understood that figure equates to more than $1000 per person, a cost borne by the NSW taxpayer.

One option that has been floated by officials is whether to cease subsidising the spots of individuals from states which refuse to pay their hotel quarantine bill.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet says Queensland has plenty of money to spent on State or Origin. Picture: Josh Woning

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said “NSW continues to take the biggest share of arrivals back to Australia and we need to cover additional costs on top of what we get back from the fee charged to each person.”

“The Queensland government has been happy to spend millions to try and get an advantage in State of Origin, so it’s surprising they are so hard-up they can’t cover the cost of their own people who arrive back in NSW.”

He restated that NSW was always happy to pay for its own citizens quarantining in other states.

“This is like the person who suddenly disappears when it’s their shout for a round of drinks,” he said.

Between March and December 2020, 38.2 per cent of travellers housed in NSW hotel quarantine came from other states.

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