Gold Coast leaders call on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to tear down Queensland border blockade
Gold Coast business leaders are again calling for the Queensland border checkpoints to be removed as motorists report ongoing delays.
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A GOLD Coast business leader says motorists are still getting knocked back at the Queensland border despite police claims it’s smoother under a new pass system.
And Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce president Martin Hall also says it is time to make it as easy as possible for visitors to come in and back Mayor Tom Tate’s call for the NSW and Queensland Premiers to stop the “sabre-ratting”.
Mr Hall said chatter among business owners revealed Queenslanders were getting turned back at the border after being unaware of the new border pass changes.
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The Queensland Government introduced a new border pass application from 2pm Tuesday in a bid to streamline entry at border checkpoints.
Gold Coast Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler said the process now auto-selected the type of pass a person needed, based on their answers to prompted questions.
He said people would have to upload supporting documentation, such as a driver’s licence. Processing of some applications can take up to three business days, however Superintendent Wheeler said most people received their pass “in a short period of time”.
Mr Hall said the State Government had dealt with the health of Queensland and it was now time to focus on the health of the economy.
“People are being unnecessarily delayed before they even get to the border after this new level of bureaucracy that’s been introduced,” Mr Hall said.
“We need to reduce the resistance on the border to get people back into Queensland and fill our tills with cash.
“A lot of (Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s) decision-making has made little sense to anyone within business in South East Queensland and we need to take out the sabre-rattling from the Premiers.
“Every hour the border is closed to greater Sydney means we will potentially have empty hotels over Christmas and that’s a very grey day for the Gold Coast.”
It comes after Mayor Tom Tate blasted Ms Palaszczuk and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian for border feuds.
The pair are at war over greater Sydney residents still being locked out of Queensland despite it being open to the rest of NSW.
Cr Tate said this week their spat was hurting the economy and it made no sense that Victorians could be allowed in but Sydneysiders might remain blocked.
“It is high time Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gladys Berejiklian pick up the phone and stop trying to make out that one has not contacted the other,” he said.
Superintendent Wheeler confirmed while there were traffic delays on Friday and Sunday it had since improved.
“We did see some peak delays on Friday and Sunday afternoon, as was to be expected, but we are generally not seeing peak delays over 20 to 25 minutes,” he said.
“I was down there at the Gold Coast Airport checkpoint a few days ago. I went and directed traffic myself … and it flows really well.
“We’re seeing more people displaying their pass … if everyone displayed their border pass, we would save hours on the border crossing.”
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