The Project co-host Georgie Tunny weighs into NRL Queensland border exemption furore

An exemption to allow NRL player’s families to cross the border into Queensland while regular families remain stranded has been slammed on The Project.

The Project co-host Georgie Tunny has weighed into the “double standard” which will see footballers’ families enter Queensland while ordinary citizens are barred.

Tuesday night’s episode kicked off with a heartbreaking interview with Natalie Victor, who runs the Facebook group, “Homeless outside QLD due to border restrictions”.

Ms Victor, who made it to hotel quarantine before the deadline while her husband remains stuck on the NSW border, told the panel the situation was taking a financial and mental toll on her family and countless others. The couple have been separated for five weeks.

Ms Victor and her husband have been separated by the border closure. Picture: Channel 10

“It’s very difficult and demoralising with so much uncertainty. We’ve been displaced now for five weeks,” she said.

“We were surprised by the hundreds and hundreds of families that are affected by this.

“There were so many heartbreaking stories of people being displaced and living in tents, in their cars and in caravans with no running water or electricity.

“A lot of people have been financially ruined and a lot of their kids are now not able to get the childcare needed for special needs and also education.”

She said she was “outraged” to hear that while Queensland citizens were being denied entry, the families of NRL players were being welcomed in.

The Queensland government has responded to criticism by claiming the NRL bubble operates outside of hotel quarantine, meaning it was not impacting the system.

But Ms Victor said it was cold comfort for those like her family in limbo, describing it as a “cop out” and “unfair”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she wasn’t responsible for the exemptions. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Tunny then weighed in to the debate, revealing that as a Queenslander, she had only managed to see her own family once in the last two years because of Covid.

“It’s such a heartbreaking situation that Natalie finds himself and so many others as well. I can understand it,” she said.

“But with these border restrictions I understand the gripe with the perceived double standard with football players being allowed in, not only football players but their families being allowed in.

“The key here is that it’s a separate facility, not taking away spots from people who would theoretically be allowed an exemption to hotel quarantine … This doesn’t help anyone in these situations like Natalie. The tough thing is there’s no certainty for them while I think at the moment for the NRL’s family and some of these officials that there is at least some certainty right now.”

Georgie Tunny weighed into the debate. Picture: Channel 10

So far, the Queensland government has issued borders passes to more than 100 NRL players’ family members as well as league officials.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has separated herself from the controversy, telling reporters on Monday she was not responsible for the move.

“I didn’t grant the exemptions, the chief health officer granted the exemptions,” she told the media.

Originally published as The Project co-host Georgie Tunny weighs into NRL Queensland border exemption furore