Groom MP Garth Hamilton lashes Premier, Queensland Health over COVID-19 case handling

The Federal MP for Groom has criticised Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Queensland Health’s handling of news of a COVID-19 patient in Toowoomba.

Garth Hamilton during his maiden speech in federal parliament. 15/02/2021

Groom MP Garth Hamilton has taken a swipe at Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over her use of the word “encouraging” to describe Queensland’s two new linked community transmitted COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

A nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and her housemate tested positive, the Premier said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.

The Premier also confirmed that a patient from the Byron Bay cluster, who was among the eight cases of community transmission announced on Tuesday, was being treated for COVID-19 in the Toowoomba Hospital.

“I really don’t share the Premier’s enthusiasm for these results,” Mr Hamilton said.

“We went 237 days without having a positive case in the Darling Downs. That was encouraging. This is the opposite.”

Mr Hamilton was also critical of Queensland Health, pointing out that The Ridge Shoppingworld first shared information about the case on its Facebook page.

“I think there’s a big question of Queensland Health as to why they held onto this information, why they sat on it for so long and is it in anyway appropriate we found out about a COVID case in our community from a coffee shop owner?”