Health Minister Yvette D’Ath hits back at Mayor Tom Tate’s RAT offer
Mayor Tom Tate’s plan to secure much-needed rapid antigen test for the Gold Coast has backfired after Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said she wouldn’t be funding his trip.
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Health Minister Yvette D’Ath and Tom Tate have gone head to head about the mayor’s plan to buy rapid antigen tests from South Korea for the Gold Coast.
Cr Tate last week pitched a plan to solve the nation’s shortage of rapid antigen tests by obtain a cache of available tests via a charter plane and bring them to Australia, to be distributed at council halls or even through rates notices.
Cr Tate said he wanted to be reimbursed by the Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for the effort.
But Ms D’Ath said on Tuesday morning there would be no government money for Cr Tate.
“If Tom Tate has got access to a ready supply he can pick up the phone and we will have the conversation but I’m not just handing money over to Tom Tate,” she said.
“We will hand money over to suppliers but I am not going to just hand over money to Tom Tate to provide them for us.”
Ms D’Ath also questioned whether the tests were approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The lack of available rapid antigen tests has become a critical issue in recent weeks.
A furious Cr Tate hit back at Ms D’Ath, saying: “I’m not asking the state (government) to pay me, or council, in any way to secure RAT tests for our city.
“Firstly, that would be illegal and secondly, it is offensive to even suggest that.”
“All I have done is make a public offer to the state government to assist in this crisis. I am simply trying to help.
“After all, it is a crisis as we all know there are thousands of businesses that have staff away from their jobs, urgently awaiting testing.
“Productivity has dived in thousands of Queensland business and that costs us all through lost wages and poor morale.”
Cr Tate said he “accepted’ that Ms D’Ath was under “enormous pressure” but implored her to not “target me in such an aggressive manner”.
Cr Tate said insisted his offer was “genuine” and was willing to engage his contacts in southeast Asia to secure more RAT tests.
“Large manufacturers have made the offer direct to me, given my contacts established through a decade of international advocacy. The position of mayor is a title held in high regard in Asia and that is why I have received direct contact from various officials.
“The City has excellent and long-established direct relationships with major Chinese cities like Chengdu and Wuhan and I have close personal contacts in those cities and the majority of supply is coming out of China and other Asian countries like South Korea,” he said.
“I urge the state to keep the politics out of this crisis and simply get these RAT tests here now.
“If they want the contacts for these large suppliers, I await their phone call.”
Tate’s RAT fix: I’ll charter a plane, get Premier to pay me back
MAYOR Tom Tate says he’s willing to put up ratepayer’s money to secure scarce rapid antigen tests (RAT) – just so long as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reimburses the city.
Cr Tate has pitched a plan to obtain a cache of available tests from South Korea via a charter plane and bring them to Australia, to be distributed at council halls or even through rates notices.
“I have done some investigation and South Korea has some. I could charter a plane and go over there and bring it back for the City of the Gold Coast,” he said.
“I am a local government but if I can do that, then the other two tiers of government should be able to as well to hand them out to frontline businesses.
“Alternatively, if they cannot think it through or be agile enough, say they will reimburse the Gold Coast for the cost of those tests because I’ll get it turned around faster than other governments”
Cr Tate called for the tests to be made free to all and said it was not too late to get council involved.
“I’ll send an email to the Premier, ask her to cover the cost and I’ll get the tests and she can reimburse us,” he said.
‘We’re happy to help and get it distributed through our community centres or sent out with rates notices.”
Earlier
Border wall falls: Cops to return to front line
Queensland’s border will come crashing down at the weekend, alleviating pressure on police and enabling them to get back to business as usual and plan for the virus peak, authorities say.
The decision to remove the border barricades follows a Bulletin report revealing the frustration among frontline police who were still manning checkpoints despite the virus running rampant throughout the state.
Police were expected to stand down when the state reached 90 per cent double jabbed. The target was expected to be reached by the end of next week.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said: “It’s a big decision, but it’s a decision that’s needed as we reach the peak of this omicron wave and operationally, the police are needed at the front line.”
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll thanked her troops, saying it had been a huge operation, initially in keeping Covid out of the state, and more recently helping to slow the spread of the virus.
“While it has been a challenge, I am very grateful the way that the organisation has adapted to that and has prioritised that very important part of policing.
“This change on 1am on Saturday will enable us to re-prioritise, get back to business as usual and make sure now that we prepare for the peak over the next couple of weeks.”
Just moments before Ms Palaszczuk made the announcement, Mayor Tom Tate held a press conference calling for the borders to come down and allow police to return to frontline service.
He said the economy was suffering because of the Omicron variant’s rapid spread.
“All the infrastructure should be removed from the border and let the police go back to policing,” he said.
“One thing about the Gold Coast is we are pretty tough but it is like we have cotton wool around us while we are bleeding on the inside. Take the cotton wool away and stop the bleeding.
“I am ready to make sure life on the Gold Coast gets back to normal so we can broaden our economy”.
Cr Tate also called for the state government to allow council to be involved in the distribution of RAT tests to ensure they were distributed quickly.
“I have done some investigation and South Korea has some. I could charter a plane and go over there and bring it back for the City of the Gold Coast,” he said.
“I am a local government but if I can do that, then the other two tiers of government should be able to as well to hand them out to frontline businesses.
“Alternatively, if they cannot think it through or be agile enough, say they will reimburse the Gold Coast for the cost of those tests because I’ll get it turned around faster than other governments”
Cr Tate called for the tests to be made free to all and said it was not too late to get council involved.
“I’ll send an email to the Premier, ask her to cover the cost and I’ll get the tests and she can reimburse us,” he said.
‘We’re happy to help and get it distributed through our community centres or sent out with rates notices.”
POLICE ASK TO LEAVE BORDER DUTY
Cops say they want to be pulled off from Queensland-NSW border duty immediately and return to normal policing duties given Covid is now running rampant across the Gold Coast.
Police have contacted the Bulletin urging the state government to reconsider its strategic planning position on standing down officers at Coolangatta check points.
This will only occur once the state reaches 90 per cent vaccination rates, which might take to the end of January.
Police on the beat warn the emergency service crisis is real — they say it will be too late.
A police source told the Bulletin: “The government was originally running police at the border saying it “we will keep you safe’.
“The Gold Coast is maxed out (with police jobs). We are dealing with closure of businesses, the impact of mental health from that and youth crime. This is a cliffhanger decision (for the government) to keep them on the borders.”
A Bulletin special investigation has revealed at least 80 police on the Coast are on sick leave, that they are attending to up to six ambulance transports each night including attempted suicide attempts and pub violence as paramedics struggle to reach jobs in time.
Sources concede officers on the front line are fatigued with Covid having a strain on resources as police man the border, are either sick with the virus or in isolation.
“No one can see the point in protecting the border to stop Covid when it is already here,” a source said.
“Everyone is looking at the resources on the border and asking why they are still there.”
But senior police are adamant the force is coping despite the number of staff unable to work.
Asked at a Covid-19 briefing last week whether police would still come off the border at 90 per cent Commissioner Katarina Carroll said there would be discussions over the next fortnight about the road map.
She added that she was “comfortable” with the staffing.
The Bulletin sent questions to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office about whether there needed to be a rethink of the strategy, but in a statement the Queensland Police Service outlined the operational situation.
The QPS said it remained “committed to enforcing border restrictions to minimise the number of positive Covid-19 cases travelling into Queensland”.
It said Coast police would “continue to monitor and review resources across each area to ensure our ability to respond to urgent matters is not compromised”, while other officers could be called upon from other areas.
“Covid-19 deployments have continued alongside usual core business obligations, ensuring the delivery of first responders to members of our community in need,” the statement said.
“The Service continues to monitor the current surge in Covid-19 cases in the community and any associated impacts this may have on our workforce.
“The QPS has well established Business Continuity Plans and the community can have full confidence in our service delivery during this situation.
“Our detailed planning incorporates various levels of response, with the Service able to escalate or de-escalate contingencies as they are required.”
Queensland Police Union acting president Shane Prior said police continued to support the health directives.
“Frontline police believe they are doing the best they can to assist and protect the entire Queensland community in responding to Covid,” he said.
“While we do not have the entire array of medical data that is presented to the chief health officer and Police Commissioner, police will not contradict the laws and tasks they have been assigned.”
Originally published as Health Minister Yvette D’Ath hits back at Mayor Tom Tate’s RAT offer
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