Extraordinary scenes: Gold Coast MP sworn in ghost chamber

The Gold Coast’s newest MP has been sworn in during extraordinary scenes at State Parliament.

THE Gold Coast’s newest MP has been sworn in during extraordinary scenes at State Parliament.

The LNP’s Laura Gerber, who won the fierce Currumbin by-election on March 28, entered the chamber just after 9.30am as a special session begin with only a handful of MPs attending, with most of the back benches empty.

Ms Gerber gave the oath of affirmation and briefly signed paperwork, applauded by a handful of colleagues on the Opposition front benches in a subdued official entry to parliamentary life.

The new LNP member for Currumbin Laura Gerber sworn in at Parliament House in Brisbane, Wednesday, April 22, 2020. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

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For today’s session to proceed, the chamber is limited to 20 MPs at any one time. Paperwork has been reduced, and members allowed to bring their own bottles of water inside.

Certain chairs are being kept for MPs to use, and cleansed during the session.

Ms Gerber was expected to stay in the chamber until Question Time when shadow MPs could enter to ask questions.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in a brief ministerial statement congratulated Queenslanders for following social distancing rules and “flattening the curve” during the coronavirus crisis.

She said Queensland was facing a duel challenge with coronavirus creating both a health danger and “peril to the economy”.

Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Speaker's Green, Queensland's Parliament House. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

Health Minister Dr Steven Miles said on day 84 of the crisis the state was maintaining its focus on saving as many lives as possible.

He confirmed Queensland had 1024 coronavirus cases, and six people had died. No new cases had occurred overnight.

Dr Miles described the scenes of the health crisis in New York as “truly horrifying”.

“We refused to accept that thousands had to die,” he said.

Education Minister Grace Grace came under fire from Opposition benches as she defended the government’s home schooling program.

She admitted there were “teething problems” on Monday when the home learning service on the department’s website was under stress.

Debate will continue throughout the day on Covid 19 emergency bills.

Opposition frontbencher Jarrod Bleijie was critical of the government in stalling sittings and creating confusion about parliamentary dates.

“We are sitting for one day. The Parliament should be sitting for more than one day. We are happy to sit all night,” Mr Bjeijie said, later accusing ministers of hiding in their offices.

He said the premier had announced the Tweed-Gold Coast border closure on Twitter and failed to provide detail about it for two days.