Coronavirus: Annastacia Palaszczuk wins Gold Coast mayor nod

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate says Queensland’s borders may not be reopened until the state is completely free of COVID-19.

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate. Picture Glenn Hampson

Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate says Queensland’s borders may not be reopened until the state is completely free of COVID-19.

As Premier Annastacia Palas­zczuk faced ongoing criticism over comments last week that the borders might not to be reopened until September, Mr Tate said he supported the government in ­prioritising public health in any decision over restrictions.

Mr Tate said he understood the anger among tourism operators over Ms Palaszczuk seemingly abandoning the government’s previously released roadmap to open the borders on July 10.

“It’s a very difficult decision but I support the Premier in her position that it has to be medical-based decision-making,’’ he told The Australian.

“And to be fair, if we are talking about opening the borders to states that are COVID-free … we should be COVID-free.”

Mr Tate was among tourism leaders who met with Ms Palaszczuk and Tourism Minister Kate Jones on Tuesday to discuss restrictions.

Ms Palaszczuk has faced calls from tourism bosses, the state ­opposition and some regional councils including Cairns to push ahead with the reopening of the borders for the traditional influx of tourists from interstate.

She had previously said she held concerns about reopening the border because of community infections in NSW and Victoria.

On Wednesday, Scott Morrison said there was “no doubt” the border closures were hurting jobs and the economy, adding that the national cabinet had not agreed to such measures.

“Premiers and their governments in states, whether it’s SA, WA, Tasmania, Queensland, have all made their own decisions and so they’ve got to justify those decisions,’’ the Prime Minister said. “There’s no doubt that those sort of orders do harm the economy, they do harm jobs.”

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said Ms Palaszczuk should open the borders or face a High Court challenge.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk is actually destroying people’s lives, their livelihoods and businesses, and they can’t go on,” she said on Nine’s Today program.

“I hate this dictatorship.

“I am all for leadership, but this is dictatorship.”

On Wednesday, miner Clive Palmer said his High Court action seeking to rule Western Australia’s border closure as unconstitutional would apply to Queensland.

“We are trying to get a directions hearing for Friday, so it should be heard fairly quickly,’’ said Mr Palmer, whose Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party is running candidates in the upcoming state election.

“The High Court will make a determination on the issues involved in WA, which are applicable in all states.

“By maintaining a lockdown and closed borders, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has condemned nearly a million Queenslanders to financial ruin, unemployment, stress and family break-up.

“There is no time to waste with the winter school holiday break on our doorstep, where an influx of southern visitors could be the ­saviour for so many Queensland businesses.”