New border plan announced

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed another plan to boost interstate travel is at play, despite insisting the border with NSW will remain closed.

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has suggested some interstate travel may be allowed into Queensland – but has insisted the border with NSW will stay shut.

Ms Palaszczuk said that the strict border closures would continue to be reviewed each month and that no set opening date was in place, despite previous comments about closures to September.

Instead she said Queensland would consider working with other states that have not had significant community transmission.

The Roadmap to Easing Restrictions released by the State Government earlier this month stated that interstate travel would be permitted in July, subject to further planning and review.

The Premier said that may not mean an open border policy.

“That could be for example South Australians coming to Queensland, because South Australia does not have community transmission,” the Premier said.

“I am not going to put at risk the lives of Queenslanders … there is community transmission in NSW and Victoria, that does not prohibit, if other states want to look at working with Queensland, absolutely I am open to that.

“But I will accept the advice of the chief health officer.”

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A police road blocks on the M1 at the NSW border. Picture: Scott Powick.

The Premier again outlined the timeline for the relaxation of restrictions, stating any decision will be left up to the advice of experts.

“Let me make it abundantly clear, I will listen to the health advice of Dr Young (Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young),” she said.

“When Dr Young says we can do interstate travel we will.

“But we are not at that stage at the moment.

“Lets take a realistic look here, we have only just opened cafes and restaurants to ten people.

“We are saying to people in the second stage you can travel 250 kilometres from where you live.

“In the third stage, we will tell people you can travel anywhere around Queensland -

I am not going to reject the advice of Dr Young.

“It is Dr Young’s clear medical advice that has got us to this stage and I am not going to throw all of that at risk when it is not backed up by the Chief Health Officers’s advice.”

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington slammed the government for their border policy, accusing them of sowing confusion for business owners.

Ms Frecklington said interstate borders should be open in July, in line with the state’s previously released roadmap.

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government caused chaos when it closed our borders via Twitter in March,” Ms Frecklington said.

“Now Labor is causing even more pain for border communities and our economy.

“The Palaszczuk Labor Government cannot even agree among themselves when the border will re-open.”

The opposition leader said there was a slim booking window open for tourists.

“Tourists won’t plan a holiday in Queensland if they don’t even know the border will be open.

“Queensland could lose millions of tourists and tens of thousands of jobs because of the chaos caused by the Premier’s mixed messages.

“The State Government’s roadmap told Queenslanders that interstate borders will open in July and that’s what should happen.

“Re-opening the border is a key step towards restarting the economy and protecting jobs.”