Qld health minister’s impassioned plea for protesters to ‘do the right thing’

Queensland’s deputy premier has made an impassioned plea for protesters planning on blocking the Story Bridge to consider the lives of innocent Queenslanders.

Queensland’s deputy premier has made an impassioned plea to protesters planning on demonstrating this weekend, saying it’s “selfish” behaviour that puts the lives of innocent people at risk.

It comes as the state confirms no new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours.

The next few days are expected to be an anxious wait for residents of Queensland aged care facilities that have been in lockdown since last week.

The chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said she hoped she could make a decision come Monday as to whether that could be reversed.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said protesters planning on blocking off the Story Bridge on Saturday jeopardise that.

“It’s been more than a week since those young women came in from Melbourne, but the stakes remain high this weekend,” he said.

“In the coming days we will need to see some level of satisfaction and comfort that there hasn’t been additional community transmission caused by those cases.

“Any breach of the chief health officer’s direction could put all Queenslanders at risk … we are not out of the woods yet.”

A refugee protest is planned for the Story Bridge on Saturday, but authorities warn it could put the lives of Queenslanders ‘at risk’. Picture: Richard Walker

Mr Miles said he appreciated there was concern about the treatment of refugees, but implored protesters to take that up with the federal government, and keep innocent people out of it.

“If there are no recorded cases of community transmission over the coming days, hopefully next week we can lift restrictions of people visiting their loved ones in aged care facilities,” he said.

“That’s what’s at stake. Anyone who breaches those directions … is selfish.

“Don’t think for one moment (they) are part of the world’s great protest movements, those people put their own lives at risk, not the lives of others, not the lives of innocent people.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles says any protester who breaches the chief health officer’s direction is ‘selfish’. Picture: Richard Walker

Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said a “very large” police operation was planned for Saturday’s protest movement.

“Now is not the time … this is not the moment,” he said.

“There are so many other options to lawfully protest, this is not a lawful protest.

“We are still examining legal options at our disposal to prevent this from happening, but we are realistic people will still plan to protest.

“People … will be arrested.”

Mr Miles said he was grateful to the thousands of Queenslanders who had come forward to get tested.

It comes after Dr Young said the next few days were “very important” in determining whether Queensland would experience a feared second wave of the virus.

Dr Young said she was “not surprised’’ Queensland’s latest COVID-19 case turned out to be a false positive given the scores of tests carried out over the past week.

“We do get them very occasionally and given that we’ve tested nearly 100,000 Queenslanders since those three women came back from Melbourne, I’m not surprised,” Dr Young said this morning.

Queensland’s borders will slam shut to New South Wales, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory from 1am on Saturday with very few exceptions for border residents, freight drivers, and some special exemptions.