Army set to descend on Queensland to patrol NSW-Qld border checkpoints, delighting the Premier

Solders are on their way to Queensland to help patrol border checkpoints following a request from Annastacia Palaszczuk.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s prayers have been answered with a company of Australian soldiers set to man checkpoints along the Qld-NSW border.

The Queensland Premier made the request for defence force to assistance with manning vehicle checkpoints following the massive COVID-19 outbreak in NSW where a record 633 positive cases, alone, were announced on Wednesday.

The 100-strong company will start assisting police from next week and news of the request being granted has delighted Ms Palaszczuk.

“The Premier has welcomed the federal government’s agreement to Queensland’s request, providing 100 soldiers to reinforce our border,” a spokeswoman from the Premier’s department said in a statement.

A spokeswoman from the office of Defence Minister Peter Dutton said troops would strategically located across the NSW-Qld border.

“Defence has received a request to assist Queensland Police Service with maintenance of Vehicle Conrol Points to restrict non-essential travel at strategic border locations,” she said.

The news comes after Ms Palaszczuk earlier warned that just one case in the state would lead to a snap lockdown, as they further tightened border restrictions with NSW.

The number of essential workers able to cross into Queensland from the virus-ravaged southern state will be further limited in order to prevent otherwise “inevitable” lockdowns, Premier Palaszczuk said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Queensland disbanded the previous border bubble zone, allowing only people who cannot reasonably obtain goods or medical care in NSW, and just 11 categories of essential workers to cross into the Sunshine State.

It was later added that those essential workers would need to prove they had been inoculated with at least one dose of the virus to police at the crossing from Friday.

Queensland’s border will tightened even further in coming days over fears Delta could infiltrate the Sunshine State. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

But, after New South Wales recorded 633 cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said even tighter restrictions were required.

“There are too many people crossing the border. It only takes one person crossing the border with Delta, and we’re into a lockdown,” she said.

“What’s happening there is a real and present threat to Queensland. We are monitoring it incredibly closely.”

Additional police have been sent to the border checkpoints. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

An additional 25 police were sent to the Gold Coast border checkpoint yesterday to assist with the tightened controls, with 25 personnel sent west.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said authorities were now trying to ascertain that “every single person coming across that border is genuinely necessary to the functioning of Queensland”.

The tighter restrictions are expected to be announced in coming days.

Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young said it was necessary to tighten border controls even further. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

“We are concerned that we can see the cases moving closer and closer to our border, in Broken Hill, Yamba, Ballina and Byron Bay,” Dr Young said.

“We have the next few days to really get that tightened up and sorted so that we can minimise movement.

“And anyone who lives in Queensland, I put to you whether or not you should be crossing that border. Really, really think very, very carefully before you decide to cross that border.

“Delta is causing problems throughout the country and even New Zealand.”

Dr Young said the only way to end border closures and lockdowns is vaccination.

“I believe that if people want to have freedoms to be able to go about their lives, they need to be vaccinated because the only other way of dealing with this is requiring people to stay home,” she said.