Queensland Police Union call for army to help protect the border

The Queensland Police Union has lashed the Prime Minister for preferencing politics over the safety of Queenslanders.

Police in the Sunshine State have called for army support to again help man the border, fearing interstate travellers will seek to force their way past checkpoints in the state’s southeast.

Movement between states is expected to soar in the lead-up to Christmas after NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced its border with Victoria will be flung open on November 23.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has held firm on her tough border restrictions, locking out Victorian residents and Sydneysiders until at least the end of the month.

But there are fears opportunistic sun-seekers will capitalise on eased restrictions and chance their arm at the border.

The Queensland Police Union wants the army to again provide support to help lock out a potential coronavirus outbreak, accusing the Prime Minister of prioritising politics over containing the deadly pandemic.

“A lot of people are going to want to enter Queensland and we want to be able to process them quickly and safely, and it is really important to keep Queensland COVID-19 free,” QPU president Ian Leavers told ABC Brisbane on Thursday morning.

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Police are concerned there will be an influx of travellers at the border. Picture: Scott Powick

“Now, I get different states have different issues, but we’ve been very successful in Queensland, and as I go around Queensland they say they want this disease kept out.”

Mr Leavers said the police force needed support to help monitor the heavily populated border between NSW and Queensland.

“Police are doing a great job,” he said. “The ADF was taken away by the Prime Minister playing politics – let’s call this for what it is.

“We certainly worked very well with the ADF, and I think it would certainly be beneficial to help us because we can do other things, but if not, we’re just going to continue to work extra long hours to do the job that we have to do to keep Queenslanders safe.”

On Wednesday, Ms Berejiklian said the NSW-Victoria border would be opened by the end of November and just a month after Premier Daniel Andrews put an end to the extreme stage 4 lockdown.

“As long as a state can demonstrate it can get on top of cases, we are OK with that,” Ms Berejiklian told reporters in a pointed message to rival Ms Palaszczuk, who has continued to hold off external pressure to open up.

“I’m confident other states will have that capacity … they’ve certainly had enough time to prepare for this,” Ms Berejiklian said.

The NSW Premier was accused on Thursday morning of ignoring health advice by opening the border with Victoria during an appearance on the Today show.

Ms Berejiklian said the assertion was “completely wrong”.

“Wrong, wrong. In fact, the advice I got was the opposite … to say it’s best for everybody if you open the border all at once and not do it in stages which will cause further stress and chaos and perhaps risk the process,” she said.

“Health and myself and all of our agencies are joined at the hip in NSW.”

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NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will open the Victoria-NSW border on November 23. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Ms Palaszczuk rubbished suggestions the NSW-Victoria border reopening should serve as a hurry along for the Sunshine State to loosen its restrictions further.

“I’ve said all along we will review those decisions at the end of the month,” she told reporters on the Sunshine Coast, insisting she will continue to defer to the state’s chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young.

“What is encouraging from Victoria is the really low cases.

“But, of course, they’re coming out of lockdown, so we’re going to be looking very carefully over the course of November to see how they go.

“A lot can happen in a month, so people need to have a bit of caution. Let’s just take it one step at a time, and let’s just see how that community transmission transpires as Victoria comes out of lockdown.”