Thousands sign petition to move QLD NSW border south crashing host website

More than 8000 people have signed a petition to move the QLD-NSW border south but some argue the move would just ‘divide us’ in a time of need.

Thousands have signed a petition asking to move the QLD NSW border south.

Tweed Heads MP Geoff Provest said a petition to move the hard border to the Tweed River would not make the region safer but instead “divide us at a time we most need unity.”

The petition hosted by member for Richmond Justine Elliot was launched yesterday urging the NSW government to accept an offer to move the hard border south to Chinderah has more than 8000 signatures after crashing the website yesterday.

However Mr Pvoest said separating the Tweed Coast and Murwillumbah from the north was not the answer.

“It would just move a problem created by the Queensland Government fully into the Tweed, which might suit Labor, but would be a terrible outcome for locals,” Mr Provest said.

“For example if QLD were to go into a hard lockdown that would put all residents south of the Tweed River in jeopardy and unable to access their own police station and hospital.

“Far from being ‘on your side’ as she claims, Richmond Labor MP Justine Elliot appears to be working for the people of Queensland Labor Party, not the people of the Tweed.”

Wharf Street, Tweed Heads leading into the Griffith Street, Coolangatta border check point with barely a car on the road. Photo: Liana Walker

Mr Provest said the Federal MP was suddenly shifting her position and now saying the border should run through Ballina, which is conveniently her electorate boundary, but no one else had put that proposition on the table.

“Instead of playing politics with the pandemic, Ms Elliot should use her connections with Queensland Labor Government to fix some devastating problems their border restrictions,” Mr Provest said.

“For example Tweed veterans who have put their lives on the line for this country are being denied surgery on the Gold Coast because Queensland is only letting patients in taxis across the border for dialysis or cancer treatment, even if they have been vaccinated.

“And new requirements that even essential workers will need to be double vaccinated to cross the border cause far more problems than they solve.”

A smaller amount of cars tried to cross the border on August 17. Photo: Liana Walker

Despite thousands rushing to get their names on a petition to move the Queensland-NSW border zone south the NSW cross border commissioner said the move may not be possible.

Commissioner James McTavish said he had not been approached by the Queensland government in relation to the proposal to move the border checkpoints south to the Tweed River.

“I have not been canvassed for my views official by Queensland or New South Wales authorities,” Mr McTavish said.

“It is a similar proposal to what was pitched in 2020 and was not endorsed due to the very complex legal issues associated with resourcing.”

Border bedlam on the QLD/NSW border in Griffith St Coolangatta. Police and Emergency Services stop members of the public on the border for questioning. Picture Glenn Hampson

He said there were also “substantial issues” with using a Queensland Public Health Order within New South Wales.

“The best thing we could all do now is abide by the directions,” he said.

With the hard border initially flagged for four weeks, which would end this Friday, Mr McTavish said he was advocating for the border communities.

“I’d like to see a more generous application of essential workers to include people involved in the public service... in health, disability, education, I’d like them be able to get to work and consideration for people in construction,” he said.

“We have a substantial number of trades people who move between NSW and QLD who work on everything from construction on roads to building houses.

“The third thing is the ability for people to be able to move more freely between the border region for parts of their daily life.”

Border bedlam on the QLD/NSW border at the Dixon St roundabout. Picture Glenn Hampson

Within minutes of being launched, the website hosting a petition calling for the Queensland-NSW border zone to be moved south has crashed.

More than 1000 people have already signed the urgent petition to NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, asking her to take up an offer from the Queensland Government to establish a border zone on the NSW North Coast immediately.

Richmond MP Justine Elliot, who launched the petition, said although she’d like to see a bubble as far south as Ballina, she would accept the proposal to move a border south to the Tweed River, essentially aligning the Tweed with Queensland instead of NSW

Richmond MP Justine Elliot. Picture: Liana Boss

“(The NSW Government) has to start talking to Queensland about this,” Ms Elliot said.

“(The QLD Premier) has been offering this for a number of days and Queensland offered the same thing last year.

“Due to Gladys Berejiklian’s mismanagement we are seeing Covid just rolling through the state and through the regions.

“We’d all be safer in Queensland.”

On moving the border checkpoints with QLD, the NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said he had not seen the topic discussed by the crisis cabinet.

NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Adam Yip

“I‘m always happy to consider those options in relation to moving the border through a border bubble, to give those communities greater opportunity, but wherever you move that line, there is always going to be a cliff edge, there will alway be a community that will then be shut out,” Mr Barilaro said.

“I have not, as a member of crisis cabinet, been given that information.

“As the minister that is responsible for the Cross Border commissioner I have not received any advice that request has come in.”

Asked if the NSW Government would prioritise essential workers getting a Covid vaccine after the QLD Government announced people crossing the border would need at least one dose from Friday, Mr Barilaro said he had been taken by surprise by the QLD announcement.

“That announcement caught me by surprise,” he said.

“We‘ve been in contact with the Cross Border commissioner to understand what the rules look like, and if that’s now going to be a requirement for people to leave the Tweed to do essential work, we will have to consider that, especially if we come out of restrictions shortly.”

The petition can be viewed and signed here.