Wellcamp quarantine hub: Residents speculate over use for seasonal workers on Darling Downs

The owner of a regional accommodation centre in the Lockyer Valley says she believes taxpayers are being kept in the dark when it comes to what the Wellcamp hub will be used for, beyond its quarantine capabilities.

Grantham Farmworkers Lodge manager Danielle Watson is looking forward to welcoming hundreds of long-term farm workers through the doors of their facility after more than 12 months of functioning as regional Queensland’s largest quarantine facility.

But the next six months will be very telling for the business, should the quarantine hub at Wellcamp choose to change its trajectory.

The owner said she had heard whispers that the Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp could potentially house seasonal workers if the demand for quarantine wasn’t high enough.

Ms Watson said she was confident that her lodge’s beds would be full for the coming weeks, given the extraordinary demand for farm workers.

Since the pandemic began, the Lodge has accommodated 60 per cent of seasonal workers flying in from the Pacific Islands to cater to a labour shortage in Queensland.

That could change in the coming months if the Regional Accommodation Centre were to house seasonal workers.

“My understanding is that there’s a demand for more seasonal workers across Queensland,” she said.

Grantham Farmworkers Lodge manager Danielle Watson said Wellcamp could become a direct competitor for her business.

“But is there enough demand in this area for them (Wellcamp) and us?

“It’s all well and good to say Australia is singing out for labour, but do we need them all here?”

The State Government has not confirmed any further uses for the hub.

In the daily Covid-19 press conference on January 20, deputy premier Steven Miles revealed half of the facility would be used for quarantine purposes, housing international students, people whose vaccination requirements were not recognised in Australia, or those in extenuating circumstances who could not quarantine at home.

He said the remaining 250 pods could be “activated and deactivated” according to what is needed in the region.

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

“We should expect this mix to change over time as the pandemic response changes,” Dr Miles said.

“Its utilisation and the utilisation of hotel quarantine has changed over the last two years and as I say will continue to change.

“We have a program board responsible for making those decisions about how we use the Wellcamp facility and hotel quarantine.”

Ms Watson said the lodge was preparing to welcome a group of workers to quarantine before the requirements changed on January 22.

As of 1am on that date, fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in Queensland were no longer required to complete hotel quarantine.

Ms Watson said the location of her lodge made it a “desirable” option for long-term workers.

“We’ll focus on providing a good place for people to be.”