Toowoomba quarantine hub: State remains silent as calls mount to reveal cost

The Wellcamp quarantine facility is expected to take in its first crop of arrivals in early February, and taxpayers still do not know how much will be spent leasing the property off the Wagners.

The Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp is ready to host international arrivals needing to enter Covid quarantine.

The Queensland Opposition has continued to pile pressure on the State Government to reveal how much public money will be spent on the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre.

Toowoomba South MP and Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki pointed to the government procurement policy as proof the state must reveal the costs associated with building and running the 1000-bed quarantine facility at Wellcamp.

“The States Government’s own rules clearly state what ought to be disclosed to the public,” he said.

“But it appears they think the rules do not apply to them.”

Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki.

Since the first mention of the Wellcamp facility back in February 2021, both the State Government and the Wagner Corporation have maintained that all costs are commercially sensitive and should not be released.

It’s a line Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk repeated at a press conference on Tuesday when asked about costs.

“They are commercial-in-confidence and much cheaper than the cost anticipated for other quarantine facilities in other states,” she said.

“Queenslanders backed this (quarantine facility).

“It will be used and who knows what is going to happen around the corner with this pandemic and we are well prepared,

“We planned for this, it will be put to good use, we should be very proud that we have a quarantine facility that will be up and running in a matter of weeks.”

However the policy does make room for costs to be disclosed.

It puts the obligation back on the supplier – in case the Wagner Corporation – to specifically list items that it considers commercially sensitive.

The costs must be kept secret if releasing them would be damaging to the supplier.

However, this test does not apply to the running costs for the facility which will be carried by the state.

These include paying for police, Queensland Health staff, cleaners and drivers.

Mr Janetzki said the public had a right to know how its money will be spent on this multimillion-dollar project.

“It is not the Premier’s money,” he said.

“It is hardworking taxpayers’ money.”

.