Queensland family’s heartache as little Thomas dies away from home

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien says Queensland authorities must do whatever they can to help the parents of Thomas Collins, who desperately tried to bring him home for his final days.

Thomas Collins, 3, died in the Royal Children’s Hosptial in Melbourne. Picture: Facebook

Queensland health authorities have been urged to “think like a mum or dad” after an Ipswich family was unable to return home from Melbourne with their three-year-old son before he died last week.

Parents Leah and Morgan Collins had wanted to take little Thomas back to Queensland so they could all be surrounded by loved ones before he died.

They had been in Victoria since the start of the year for specialist treatment for severe combined immunodeficiency, but earlier this month it became clear the young boy would not survive.

But an exemption for the family to quarantine in a hospital was not granted by the Queensland government until Saturday — the day little Thomas died.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk conceded it “came too late” after she was slammed for her health department’s handling of the tragedy.

“I understand that an exemption was granted on Saturday … but unfortunately it came too late,” she said.

Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said authorities needed to do whatever they could to help the heartbroken parents, who still face a 14-day quarantine before they can grieve with loved ones.

“There are times when you’ve got to think like a politician and times when you’ve got to think like a mum or dad,” he said.

“In this sort of case with the terrible outcomes, we just need to help these families, to bend over backwards to help them get through a really tough time. I certainly hope that Premier Palaszczuk would be able to look at how well we’ve done down here in Victoria, understand that we are very, very low risk and just reach out and help out a family in desperate need.”

A Queensland Health spokesman said the rules were in place to save lives, insisting authorities were “constantly reviewing and amending our directions”.

Thomas Collins, 3, died in the Royal Childrens Hospital in Victoria.

Thomas and his dad had a very special bond. Picture: Alex Coppel

Mrs Collins said the Queensland Government had been “twiddling its thumbs” and failed to act in time.

She told the Herald Sun they were eventually offered to do 14 days quarantine in Queensland with impossible provisions, including potentially being stuck in a room where their son would die.

“I’d think as Queensland residents we’d be able to go back in but the exception we were given meant that if he passed away we would have had to spend a remainder of the two weeks in that room,” Mrs Collins said.

“Queensland Health really just didn’t come to the table.”

The family support tough border measures to keep people safe, but argued they were the safest possible people having spent months getting regular COVID-19 tests in hospital.

Late last week the parents decided they would remain in Melbourne until he passed, with Mrs Collin’s mother, Kaye Walker, able to join for support.

But grandfather Bob Walker did not make it in time, arriving from Queensland by car the day after little Thomas passed.

Proud mum Mrs Collins said her “cheeky as hell” little boy had a strong bond with the hospital staff, boasting the young boy could spell the hospital cleaner’s name and was clearly a favourite among the nurses.

“Everyone who met Thomas adored Thomas,” she said.

“He always had his cars and his truck and his trains. 

“He was the happiest, loveliest little kid, he was cheeky as hell.”

Thomas’s mum says he was the ‘happiest, loveliest little kid’.

Leah and Morgan with their son, Thomas.

Mrs Collins said Thomas’ bond with his dad was unlike anything else, with Mr Collins spending days on end at his bedside.

“Thomas just adored his dad,” she said.

The family now want to get back home to Ipswitch so they can hug their friends and family, and farewell their little boy.

But they now face either fourteen days of quarantine at a hotel, at home alone or in NSW.

“But I spent two and half years inside,” Mrs Collins said, hoping to receive an exemption from state authorities.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt hoped “common sense can prevail” so the Collins can get back with the family and friends as soon as possible.

“This is an agonising human case — it speaks to our common humanity. It reminds us that there is always a fundamental place for compassion,” a spokesman for the Minister said.

“We respectfully but clearly call on the Queensland Premier to provide the family with all of the compassionate exemptions they need in this time of agonising grief.”

He pointed to the commonwealth definition of a hotspot, which was not currently met by any justisticion including Victoria.

However, Anthony Albanese on Monday defended Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk saying she was doing a “great job”, despite the claims made by the grieving Collins family.

Asked about the harsh border measures in place for people coming from NSW, the Opposition Leader said the restrictions had kept Queensland safe.

“No one wants to see restrictions in place, but restrictions have made Queenslanders safe,” he said.

“I want to be able to travel and I want Australians to want to travel and I know Annastacia Palaszczuk does do.

“One of the things that I won’t do, and you’ve seen Labor oppositions not do, is not make partisan political comments.”

In the 24 hours before Thomas’s death, representatives from the hospital were preparing to mount a case to get the family back home.

“The RCH on Friday escalated the quarantine issue and were preparing to advocate with government and Queensland Health counterparts,” a hospital spokeswoman said.

Queensland Health said it would “continue to offer every assistance possible to the family”.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the Collins family at this difficult time,” a spokesman said.

But the Collins family told the Herald Sun they had never heard from the state government.

A GoFundMe started to help cover funeral and other costs has so far raised more than $65,000.

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