Living between two states ‘wearing down’ border town residents, businesses

Mum Natalie Quirk is fed up with police checkpoints at the NSW/Queensland border, labelling the entire measure “a joke’.

NATALIE Quirk is fed up with “ridiculous checkpoints” at the NSW/Queensland border saying “it seems everyone and anyone can get a pass”.

Ms Quirk lives in Stotts Creek, her son goes to school in Tweed Heads and she has a border pass so she can attend doctors’ appointments. She is also allowed to see her clients on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane.

While she’s been able to continue her daily business, she says lines on the NSW side of the border are often long, and border town residents like her are suffering.

Natalie Quirk and her 7-year-old son Ryan are among the many families suffering every day due to border restrictions. Photo Scott Powick.

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“The traffic congestion on the Tweed Heads side is ridiculous and no-one even checks my border pass anyway, the whole border restrictions thing is joke.

“And then there’s an accident on the M1, which is quite often, the border checkpoints are backed up for hours.

“It’s taking such a massive toll on those of us who live in border town, and with no end in sight it’s starting to wear us down.

“It’s also smashing Coolangatta’s small businesses who get a fair chunk of their business from border town residents,” she said.

Border town resident Natalie Quirk is fed up with having to manage border checks while living between two states. Photo Scott Powick

“After school drop off my girlfriends and I usually stop at Coolangatta for a coffee or eat out there but they are hesitant to apply for a pass just for dining out in Queensland, although it seems everyone and anyone can get a pass.”

Ms Quirk said the Premier should have considered a border town pass, especially if the borders stay shut until September.

“But even when the borders do open it’s not as though people are going to come flooding back, that’s why they must open earlier. Small businesses are going to find it hard enough to rebuild as it is.”