Toowoomba Groom MP Garth Hamilton accuses Anthony Albanese of ‘stirring up trouble’ over Wellcamp quarantine hub

Anthony Albanese stopped in Toowoomba this week to back the State Government’s plan for a quarantine facility at Wellcamp. Now the local MP has responded to it.

Garth Hamilton has criticised Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese over the Wellcamp quarantine facility.

Groom MP Garth Hamilton has taken aim at Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s support of the proposed Wellcamp quarantine facility, accusing him of “stirring up trouble”.

The federal Labor leader stopped into Toowoomba on Monday to back Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s plan for a 1000-bed hub not far from Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, arguing it “made sense” and was needed to address national quarantine concerns.

Mr Hamilton said he didn’t understand why Mr Albanese had chosen now to enter the five-month debate over the facility’s future.

“I don’t know why Mr Albanese is coming to stir up trouble,” he said.

“The main message is to reassure the people of Toowoomba that the medical advice we’ve received is that the project is not viable.

“We’ve looked at this from every angle — the government has moved on from this.

“I spoke to senior members of Toowoomba’s medical community yesterday, neither them nor their management support this.”

Mr Hamilton said Toowoomba Hospital also didn’t have current capacity to take extra Covid-19 patients if they experienced a medical emergency.

It comes as both levels of government started work on developing the Brisbane quarantine site, which is expected to be ready by next year.