Palaszczuk government proposes prepayment change to hotel quarantine

The Palaszczuk government has proposed a major change to how hotel quarantine is paid, after a day of criticism over who can and can’t enter the state.

The Queensland government will soon force employers and those sponsoring international students to pay the hefty cost of hotel quarantine before the international arrivals enter the state.

Prepayment for the thousands of dollars to cover the mandatory health direction proposed by the Palaszczuk government will apply to businesses and sponsors paying on behalf of individuals, creating a big financial barrier for those previously reliant on having time to pay off their debt.

The change was added to a proposed extension of public health legislation to manage the pandemic response, which will go before parliament this week.

Health Minister Yvette D’Ath hasn’t ruled out the demand for upfront payment being applied to all arrivals down the track, but said it was not currently being discussed.

“Any expansion would need to be prescribed in regulation and subject to the scrutiny of parliament,” the Health Minister said.

Hotel quarantine continues to be a major hurdle for interstate and international travel. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

Previously, arrivals were typically given about a month to pay the up to $3000 bill for hotel quarantine, which could sometimes create a messy and costly gap between payment and funds being reimbursed by employers and sponsors.

“The bill before parliament enables regulations to be made to allow upfront hotel quarantine fee payments in certain circumstances,” Ms D’Ath told NCA NewsWire.

“These include those entering the state from overseas for specific employment purposes such as agricultural workers, or workers sponsored by an employer and some international students.”

The proposed amendment comes before parliament as the Palaszczuk government faces fierce backlash over its decision to allow cricket and rugby league stars, along with family members, to enter the state despite a two-week pause on interstate arrivals requiring quarantine.

About 100 NRL partners, families and officials jetted into the state on charter flights on Sunday after being granted an exemption by chief health officer Jeannette Young.

The Premier has faced a fierce backlash for the recent hotel quarantine decisions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The contingent are staying at a designated hotel for the NRL which is not managed by Queensland Health, but the move has infuriated thousands trapped outside the state, leading to Opposition Leader David Crisafulli blasting the premier.

“If there’s room for sporting families, then there’s room for Queensland families,” he told parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Deputy police commissioner Steve Gollschewski said he understood the frustrations, but said it was completely separate to state-run quarantine.

“The only role Queensland police play in the NRL’s quarantining is processing people at the airport. They then go into self funded arrangements, and they have to satisfy to Dr Young that they can do that,” he told ABC radio.

“We do get involved if someone deliberately does the wrong thing, but police are not involved in the security operation.”

The Palaszczuk government were also slammed for allowing Australian and Indian cricketers into the state to quarantine ahead of the women’s series.

But, the Premier said the cricketers, and presumably the NRL contingent, were “outside the cap”.

“I didn’t grant the exemptions, the chief health officer did,” she told reporters on Monday afternoon.

Currently, those wanting to enter Queensland from NSW, the ACT and Victoria cannot do so unless they have an exemption for compassionate reasons.