QLD election 2020 live: Annastacia Palaszczuk says borders could open on November 1
Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland’s border with NSW could still open on November 1. It comes as she said the Federal Government was responsible for stopping a plane carrying vulnerable Aussies from Laos from landing at Cairns.
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Queensland’s borders to NSW could still open on November 1, despite recent cases of community transmission.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, campaigning at a factory in the Brisbane suburb of Murarrie (Labor, Bulimba), said Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young had not delivered health advice on the reopening yet.
“As the Deputy Premier said this morning, those decisions will be made at the end of the month, and we are looking at the community transmission,” she said.
“But they have been able to get on top of a lot of those issues, we’re looking forward to seeing that health advice.”
Asked whether NSW had met the 28 days of no community transmission landmark, Ms Palaszczuk said Dr Young took “into consideration a whole range of issues”.
“Including their sewage testing, their rate of testing, she’ll provide her advice to government about those very important matters,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said it was a “cordial” national cabinet meeting on Friday morning, and noted there was a national hope the nation would be reopened by December.
She said Queensland was happy to take an extra 150 international arrivals into hotel quarantine.
Ms Palaszczuk said despite NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian raising concerns about QLD’s COVID-19 policies recently, Ms Berejiklian did not bring up anything in national cabinet.
Asked about a flight from Laos carrying vulnerable Australians that was apparently stopped from landing in Cairns, Ms Palaszczuk said that would be an issue for the federal government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison had alleged it was the Queensland authorities that blocked it.
But Ms Palaszczuk said there was no reason it could not have landed in Brisbane.
“They’re coming from international, there’s no reason why they can’t come to Brisbane. You’d have to ask the federal government. I’m not in control of when international flights come in …”
“You’d have to ask the federal government, international arrivals are a matter for the federal government,” she said.
“We have a capacity … but at the moment, the majority of our international arrivals are coming through Brisbane. That’s where the majority of police, and hotels (are).”
Ms Palaszczuk said she did not have details of the incident.
She said in the last several weeks, the federal government had not reached the 1000-person limit of international arrivals into Queensland.
Frecklington denies racism in youth curfew policy
LNP leader Deb Frecklington says she finds it offensive that her curfew crackdown policy is being branded as a “racism issue”.
Ms Frecklington was peppered with questions today about the proposal, which would see children under 14 in Townsville and Cairns subject to an 8pm curfew.
Baby Bonus, breakdown of traditional families feeding Qld youth crime crisis: Labor MP
Ms Frecklington said she wanted to keep Queensland children “safe and protected” regardless of where they came from or their race.
“I find it deeply offensive that people are being racist,” she said.
“I actually represent an Indigenous community whom I love.
“I find it offensive that people think that this is a racism issue. This is a juvenile crime issue and it doesn’t go across race.”
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Ms Frecklington confirmed parents would not need to pay the $250 fine for their children to be released from the refuge, as she insisted that her party had consulted on the policy.
She claimed the local police officers in her community “love” the proposal and want it to be extended.
“We have consulted with police,” Ms Frecklington said.
“We have consulted with communities. We’ve consulted with the Queenslanders who have had their cars flogged, who have had a knife put in their face, who have had their children woken up in the middle of the night because some young juvenile kid, some crim, has actually broken into their house and waved knives around into their kid’s faces.”
Her comments come after Amnesty International Australia campaigner Joel Mackay hit out at the policy earlier in the week, claiming that a preemptive curfew on children would “only entrench cycles of disadvantage, poverty, poor health and racism”.
Under the LNP proposal, a six month trial would be run in Townsville and Cairns where a curfew of 8pm would be imposed on children aged 14 and under and 10pm for children aged between 15 and 17.
Parents would also cop a $250 fine if their child breaches the curfew.
Asked earlier in the week, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk would not say whether or not she supported the idea of a curfew, nor comment on suggestions it would unfairly target Aboriginal kids.
But Deputy Premier Steven Miles says the LNP’s proposed curfew wouldn’t be effective while claiming it was a “simplistic plan” to win votes.
Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath has slammed the plan to fine parents as a “halfbaked idea”.
Asked what he thought of the idea today, Mr Miles said the only people who thought it was a good idea were Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington and the LNP.
“The police are against it from what I can tell,” he said.
“People in Townsville are against it.
“It seems a simplistic plan that she’s (Frecklington) come up with to try to win votes just before the election.
“I don’t think it will be very effective.”
MP defends ‘repugnant’ baby bonus slur
Transport Minister Mark Bailey has defended a high-profile Labor MP who made the extraordinary claim that Queensland’s youth crime crisis was partly caused by parents who bred to pocket the federally-funded Baby Bonus.
Cairns MP Michael Healy told The Courier-Mail youth crime was the by-product of social issues caused by “the collapse of the traditional family unit” and the fact that “certain segments in the community were taking advantage of the Baby Bonus for the money”.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey, who was campaigning in Townsville as Labor’s “Cut Bus” rolled into the city, defended Mr Healy, saying his colleague was referring to “parental responsibility”.
“I think Michael was just simply making a point that the parental responsibility is an important part of … an appropriate response to (youth crime),” he said.
“I think that’s a reasonable thing to say.”
However, Ms Palaszczuk said she didn’t agree with the comment.
“I’ve spoken to Michael about that, I’ve made it very clear I don’t support those comments and he completely understands,” she said.
Labor has also announced $1.7m in extra funding for Queensland’s “care army”, a network of volunteers set up to check in on senior citizens throughout the coronavirus crisis.
However the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) described Mr Healy’s comments as “repugnant”.
Chief executive Amy McVeigh said she was “aghast” at the comments that youth crime had been influenced by the Howard Government’s Baby Bonus and the collapse of the traditional family unit.
“It is horrifying to hear these false views espoused,” she said.
“We’re not in the 1950s anymore – the world has changed, but it seems that the major parties haven’t got the memo.
“Families come in all shapes and sizes – whether children are raised by a single parent, an LGBTIQA+ family, by their grandparents, or by two parents, Queenslanders celebrate this diversity, and our politicians should too.”
Ms McVeigh also condemned the LNP’s youth curfew policy and the refusal of the Labor party to rule out implementing a similar plan.
“The Premier should make it clear that baseless policies like a youth curfew will not be considered if she is to form government again,” she said.
Ms McVeigh said children should be safe to experience age-appropriate freedom, “not placed in handcuffs, held in watchhouses or locked in prisons away from their families, community and culture”.
“The answer to this is not curfews or fines,” she said.
“Instead of further entrenching people into crime, let’s address the real, systemic issue.
“A whole of system response is required to address the root cause of crime and recidivism in our society – poverty, trauma, and a lack of support for families.”
LNP promises $20m to upgrade Gold Coast shipyard
Tens of millions of dollars would be spent upgrading a shipyard on the Gold Coast, under an election pitch from the LNP to make the region the “super yacht marine maintenance hub of the southern hemisphere”.
Visiting the Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard in the LNP electorate of Coomera, Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington announced an LNP government would invest $20 million to deliver the new marine maintenance facility.
The new precinct would boost the capabilities of the existing shipyard with a 1200 ton capacity lift to cater for vessels of up to 75 metres in length.
The LNP’s pledge would be a co-investment along with the Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard to build the $108 million facility and create 1,500 jobs.
“This is a super day on the election campaign because the LNP are going to supercharge the super yacht industry in the Southern Hemisphere,” Ms Frecklington said.
“It is very important that the maritime industry is looked after.
“Right here on the Gold Coast, within the bigger precinct around here, over 2,500 Queenslanders work. We want to grow that.”
Frecklington won’t commit to renewable energy target
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington won’t say if she will set a renewable energy target, but has backed in the federal government’s emissions reduction goal.
During a visit to Griffith University on the Gold Coast, Ms Frecklington confirmed that she supported the federal government’s 23 per cent renewable energy target by 2020.
The Palaszczuk Government’s target is 50 per cent by 2030 – something Ms Frecklington said was not set in legislation.
The LNP leader tried to pivot to her party’s New Bradfield Scheme, which she claimed would power 800,000 homes with hydroelectricity.
“This is all about making sure we are working towards renewable energy in Queensland that’s saving the environment,” Ms Frecklington said.
The Opposition Leader also confirmed her support for the federal government’s target to reduce emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030.
Ms Frecklington used her second press conference of the day to announce that an LNP government would invest $33 million in the Advanced Design and Prototyping Technologies Institute at Griffith University.
She said the investment would back in “high-skill, high-tech jobs of the future”.
“Researchers and industry will unite for pioneering work in a number of fields – all with the potential to revolutionise people’s lives and create new jobs,” Ms Frecklington said.
The LNP leader said she would be watching tomorrow’s AFL grand final with “ordinary Queenslanders” in the front bar of a pub in regional Queensland.
Originally published as QLD election 2020 live: Annastacia Palaszczuk says borders could open on November 1
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