Covid-19 Qld: Federal government’s quarantine facility in Brisbane to be halved

A federal government quarantine facility may be halved in size, providing a glimpse into the usefulness of Annastacia Palaszczuk’s own facility.

The federal government’s quarantine facility near Brisbane Airport may be halved in size given the increasing freedom of international travel, casting further doubt on the Queensland government’s own facility near Toowoomba.

Construction for the Pinkenba facility to be located 5km from the airport is under way with the first phase scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2022.

The initial proposal was to build 1000 beds, but the Morrison government is now reviewing the need to build beyond 500 beds given the reduced requirement to quarantine international travellers as Covid-19 vaccination rates increase.

Under the Queensland road map, fully vaccinated arrivals from overseas will be able to home quarantine from December 17 and no quarantine will be required when the state’s vaccination coverage reaches 90 per cent, which health authorities have flagged will likely occur in January.

But Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the site could still be useful for future outbreaks as well as those escaping natural disasters and potentially refugees fleeing war zones.

The site will be online in the first quarter of 2022.

“Whilst quarantine requirements continue to evolve as vaccination rates surge and states progressively open their borders, this centre will be there to support any ongoing quarantine requirements throughout the pandemic,” he said in a statement provided to NCA NewsWire.

“This centre will also be there in the long run for Queenslanders, boosting our medium and long-term capability to respond to future pandemics or natural disasters.”

The first stage will provide 500 beds.

The Palaszczuk government will also follow through with its own facility in Toowoomba at Wellcamp, which it infamously began construction on without federal support following a long-running spat with the Morrison government.

Constructed with state and private funds, the Queensland government insists it won’t be redundant, committing to accommodate returning international students for the start of semester 1 in 2022.

“Most international students are in accommodation that would not be considered suitable for home quarantine,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles told reporters on Tuesday morning.

“So having the Wellcamp facility would give us a way to safely bring those students back.

Pinkenba quarantine facility to be built near Brisbane Airport.

“If you think about the kind of dense accommodation international students live in while they are studying, the risk of an outbreak in one of those settings is quite significant.”

The Queensland government has faced regular criticism over the relevance of the Toowoomba-based facility but Mr Miles said it would be completed before Christmas.

“Wellcamp will be online much sooner than the federal government’s Pinkenba facility,” he said.

“We’ve been able to move faster and we will be able to access that facility sooner.

“It will be a useful facility for the entire region.”

Originally published as Covid-19 Qld: Federal government’s quarantine facility in Brisbane to be halved