NSW sending bill to NT a true shame job by Berejiklian

NEW South Wales has decided to send the Northern Territory a $1.5m hotel quarantine bill. With respect Premier Gladys Berejiklian, what you’re doing is truly gammon

NEW South Wales has decided to send the Northern Territory a $1.5m bill because a few hundred Territorians happened to use the state’s hotel quarantine system after returning back to Australian soil from overseas.

NSW sent similar bills to Queensland and Western Australia, for far larger sums of money.

None of those states nor the Northern Territory will be paying those bills and they shouldn’t have to.

Those bills should have never been sent. Australia is meant to be going through this pandemic together.

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The NT, in its boundless generosity, told NSW travellers caught out by snap border closures mid-air that they could stay in the Howard Springs quarantine facility, aka Chateau de Howard, for free.

Or if they preferred to return home on the earliest possible flight, the government would pay for that too.

How many New South Welshman have returned to Australia via the international wing of Howard Springs? Perhaps the Commonwealth could send the state a bill for that too.

No other jurisdiction has called up NSW and asked for money because its residents happened to find themselves in a quarantine facility interstate.

The NT government has also argued the invoice from NSW was contrary to national cabinet discussions where it was agreed the states and territories could not bill each other for hotel quarantine expenses incurred by their citizens returning from overseas.

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Apart from the principles of federation, perhaps it would be wise for NSW to be reminded that they’re asking Australia’s fiscally weakest jurisdiction to find a spare $1.5m.

Mate, it costs us that much money a day to service the interest on our growing debt.

It’s akin to asking your broke, unemployed mate to shout you dinner at your own house knowing they’re barely making rent.

With respect Premier Gladys Berejiklian, what you’re doing is truly gammon. A shame job if we ever saw one.