Coronavirus: Robbie Katter urges army call-up to keep north Queensland disease-free

The Army should be used to quarantine large swathes of coronavirus-free north and west Queensland, says crossbencher Robbie Katter.

Police stop motorists on the Gold Coast Highway at Coolangatta on the Queensland-NSW border. Picture: AAP

The Army should be used to quarantine large swathes of coronavirus-free north and west Queensland to stop the spread of the virus into vulnerable communities, according to Queensland crossbencher Robbie Katter.

As police set up checkpoints to monitor the Queensland government’s closure of the border with NSW, Mr Katter called for south-east Queensland to be effectively cordoned off from much of regional Queensland.

There are currently no recorded cases of COVID-19 in western Queensland, and Mr Katter said if the virus did make its way into the sparsely populated areas, it could overwhelm the existing limited medical resources.

“It’s not parochialism, it’s pragmatism, we’ve got zero cases … and we’re at a much more compromised position, we’ve got a smaller population and proportionate to health resources – ventilators and health staff – we’re the most compromised,” said Mr Katter, the Katter’s Australian Party MP for the Mount Isa-based seat of Traeger.

He said Townsville-based soldiers should be used to police the closure, and argued that such a directive from Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young would deter most of the traffic.

Queensland’s coronavirus cases increased by 50 to 493 on Thursday.

While Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk flagged that some areas of Queensland might eventually be subjected to stricter lockdown provisions than others, she has not backed Mr Katter’s call.

A spokesman said the Premier had urged people to stay in their own homes and suburbs, and if people followed that advice, it would achieve Mr Katter’s objective.

An officer signals to a motorist at the checkpoint early on Thursday morning. Picture: Glenn Hunt

Ms Palaszczuk on Thursday defended her closure of the QLD-NSW border, which saw many roads that were supposed to be closed remain open, particularly in the connected border towns of Tweed and Coolangatta. Traffic flowed freely between the two, without police-manned closures.

Ms Palaszczuk said any interstate holidaymaker who flouted health advice and the border closure by sneaking through an open crossing was “putting people’s lives at risk”.

“I ask people to stay in their state … this is a Queensland protective measure for the health of our citizens,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Motorists from northern NSW travelling to work in Queensland on Thursday morning experienced delays as police checkpoints at the border became chokepoints.

Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler speaks with officers at the border checkpoint at Coolangatta on Thursday morning. Picture: Glenn Hunt

But the severe delays forecast by police did not eventuate, with drivers on the Gold Coast Highway experiencing the greatest traffic, with motorists backed up for several kilometres.

Vehicles with Queensland number plates were waved through, while those with NSW plates were diverted to the side.

If they had a printed permit, they were allowed to proceed.

Those without a permit had to answer a series of questions from police officers about why they needed to travel to Queensland.

The government’s promised online permit system was activated on Thursday morning.

State Disaster Coordinator Steve Gollschewski said the pass could be displayed on a vehicle’s dashboard.

Police direct traffic at the Queensland border checkpoint at Coolangatta early on Thursday morning. Picture: Glenn Hunt

“The system went live with a soft launch last night,” Deputy Commissioner Gollschewski said.

“Applicants who are deemed eligible for an entry pass will be electronically issued a pass at the end of completing a short online form.

“The issued pass is print-at-home and applicants given instructions to display within their vehicle to enable priority passage.”

“Border restrictions apply to all travel to Queensland by air, sea, rail or road.”

Arrivals to Queensland from another state or territory must self-isolate for 14 days unless they are an exempt person and can be hit with a $13,345 fine if they fail to do so.