Annastacia Palaszczuk won’t release $520,000 poll into border closures

Annastacia Palaszczuk is refusing to release $528,000 taxpayer-funded polling gauging voter sentiment on Covid restrictions.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: Dan Peled

Annastacia Palaszczuk is refusing to publicly release $528,000 taxpayer-funded polling gauging voter sentiment on COVID-19 restrictions.

The Premier, who on Tuesday announced some border restrictions to northern NSW residents would be eased on October 1, said she would release the government’s research only if other states released theirs.

Labor’s critics have accused the Premier of “populism” ahead of the October 31 election and basing coronavirus restrictions on political decisions rather than scientific advice.

“Every state does it,” Ms Palaszczuk said when asked about the polling on Tuesday.

“The federal government has done its research, that’s come into national cabinet. If every other state does, yes we will (release it).“

The Australian last week revealed the polling, despite a spokesman for the premier previously saying there had been “no poll”.

In May and June, the Department of Premier and Cabinet awarded contracts to polling and market ­research company Ipsos Public Affairs, to run a “COVID-19 key insights project” to conduct “sentiment testing”.

The premier last week urged critics of the polling to “have a cold shower”.

She would not say whether the polling had included questions about border closures, instead saying the pollster had asked “numerous questions across the spectrum”.

Opposition leader Deb Frecklington accused Ms Palaszczuk of hiding behind other premiers and challenged her to release the polling.
“Instead of cowering behind other state leaders, Annastacia Palaszczuk should publish the taxpayer-funded political polling she commissioned,” Ms Frecklington said.

“Queenslanders have every right to see the polling – because they paid $528,000 for it.

“If Labor has nothing to hide, there’s no reason to keep the polling under wraps. The Labor Party should repay the money to taxpayers today.”

Queensland police officers at the QLD-NSW border. Picture: Jerad Williams

The Premier’s refusal comes as the Queensland government announced a further 11 NSW postcodes would be added to the state’s border bubble, allowing 152,000 residents there to apply for a pass to travel across the border.
Restrictions for Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes shires will be lifted from 1am on October 1.
Queensland residents will also be able to travel into those shires and return without needing to quarantine.

“We’ve not seen any cases along those border areas for quite some time and we’ve also not seen cases north of Sydney for quite a while so it is safe to open up those areas,” Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young said.

Tuesday marked 12 days since a person known to be infected with the virus was in the community in Queensland.
Dr Young said the lack of community transmission meant she would consider relaxing some restrictions on gatherings in southeast Queensland later in the week.

“Hopefully that will happen on Friday as we go into the weekend and people (in Brisbane and Ipswich) will be able to again gather in those groups of 30,” she said.

The government will consider lifting further border restrictions at the end of the month, but would not contemplate allowing free entry of NSW residents until 28 days without community transmission in that state.

Ms Frecklington told radio station 4BC that if she becomes premier, she would accept advice from the chief health officer.

“What I would do differently … is that the LNP will receive and publish the medical advice,” she said.