Petition for Annastacia Palaszczuk to be denied travel, quarantine exemption for Tokyo trip

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has hit back at calls for her to be denied an exemption to attend the Tokyo Olympics.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended the “unprecedented” reason she will leave the country this month, despite thousands of people signing a petition calling for her to be denied an exemption to travel to Japan to secure the 2032 Olympics.

Ms Palaszczuk, who last week received her second dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in preparation for her trip later this month, has come under fire for revealing she would quarantine in a hotel after returning from Tokyo despite repeatedly calling for a reduction in hotel quarantine caps.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been blasted for her upcoming trip to Tokyo to seal the 2032 Olympics deal. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The change.org petition “Deny Annastacia Palaszczuk an exemption to leave Australia to attend the Tokyo Olympics” has attracted more than 27,000 signatures since it was created after Ms Palaszczuk’s appearance last week on Q& A, where she confirmed she would quarantine in a hotel after her trip.

“It has been made very clear by John Coates (the president of the Australian Olympic Committee) that it would be a disaster if the head of Queensland did not go to make the pitch … and to come back and spend 14 days in hotel quarantine,” Ms Palaszczuk said on Tuesday.

However, the tens of thousands of signees have been told by Treasurer Cameron Dick that they “simply don’t understand” why Ms Palaszczuk needs to travel to Tokyo.

“It is imperative that our state is represented. Those people who don’t want us represented simply don’t understand what is at risk for our state,” he said.

Ms Palaszczuk says she will quarantine in a hotel on her return, not at her home like Prime Minister Scott Morrison did after his recent international sojourn. Picture: Sarah Marshall / NCA NewsWire

Started by a group of stranded Australians, the thousands of signees are asking the Australian Border Force to “deny her the ability” to travel and “steal a precious quarantine space”.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk has successfully advocated for a brutal and heartless halving of Australian quarantine spaces, making it even more difficult for stranded Australians to return home,” the petition said.

“Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles recently stated: ‘Every month, about 40,000 Australian citizens and about 6000 permanent visa holders are allowed to leave the country. Many of them seek to return … rejoining the queue, going back through hotel quarantine, putting our community at risk …’

“The people of Australia believe the Queensland Government should lead by example. We hereby petition for Annastacia Palaszczuk to be DENIED the right to leave Australia at this time until she increases hotel quarantine capacity to such an extent that she will not take up a space that could have gone to a stranded Australian.

“Annastacia Palaszczuk should not be allowed to steal a precious hotel quarantine space from a more deserving stranded Australian trying to return home.”

New facilities would be built across Queensland to host the 2032 Olympics.

Mr Dick said hosting the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics was an “unprecedented opportunity”.

“The boost to infrastructure, the opportunity to showcase our state to the world as a destination for a holiday and also as a destination for investment,” Mr Dick said.

“These sort of things cannot be underestimated.

“We can see the finish line, but we’re not there yet. We just can’t afford to stumble at the last hurdle which is exactly why Queensland needs to be represented at the meeting of the international Olympic committee in Tokyo in July.

Signees have said it is “unfair” for politicians to be able to travel freely while denying ordinary Australians the “basic human right”.

“This is un-Australian,” one said.

“Our premiers should lead by example, not get exemptions,” another wrote.

“She’s a hypocrite,” an anonymous signee wrote.

Ms Palaszczuk said the meeting in Tokyo was “very important” and the International Olympic Committee expected her, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and a federal government representative to be in the city.

“It’s worth about $14bn and I would hope, by 2032, we would be back to a normal society of freedom … it would create over 100,000 jobs,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk was instrumental in Australia’s hotel quarantine places being reduced by 50 per cent after numerous leaks in the system caused simultaneous outbreaks across the country.