State government defends quality of hotel quarantine food as horror pictures emerge
Photos of unidentifiable meals served to hotel quarantine guests in Tasmania have emerged – and the state government has defended the fare.
Tasmania
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tasmania. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Are these Tassie’s best Make Yourself At Home deals?
- CRASH MAP: Every traffic collision in 2019 revealed
A STATE government department leapt to the defence of the quality of food provided to guests in mandatory hotel quarantine after photos emerged of some of the meals served.
One of the images from an unhappy traveller showed a plate of six sausages which appeared to have been boiled, which was given to a guest at the Ibis hotel in Hobart.
But a Department of Communities spokesman said the meal was not served like the photo suggested.
“The sausages were not served like that; they were served in a mushroom sauce with creamy mashed potatoes and steamed zucchini,’’ he said.
Another image showed another meal later identified by the spokesman as a pie floater.
Mitchell Rickards, who stayed in hotel isolation at Devonport, said photos he took didn’t show bad his food really was.
“The salad we received was rotten, the pork wasn’t cooked. [We got] pretty much a chicken carcass, roasts which were mainly fat and other meals that pretty much were inedible,” he said.
Facebook user Angela Patterson questioned the quality of the meals.
“People are paying for this food aren’t they? Why are they getting bad meals? Do the hotels use different chefs than the cooks who look after other guests?” she said.
But the government, who was sent the pictures, defended the quality of the food.
“The only feedback received recently in regards to food has been positive,’’ a Department of Communities spokesman said.
“If guests have any issues with the meals they receive, we encourage them to speak with the government liaison officers who are onsite at each hotel and dedicated to dealing with these types of concerns.”
Guests are charged $2800 each for a 14-day stay at the state’s quarantine hotels, seven of which are currently being used for that purpose around the state.
Hotel operator Accor, which runs the Ibis chain of hotels, was also sent the pictures and a number of questions but declined to comment.
Robbins Island wind farm opponent in Supreme Court bid
A key opponent of a 100-turbine wind farm proposed for Robbins Island says it was denied natural justice during a failed 2023 legal appeal against the $1.6 billion development’s approval.
Half-price fares fail to meaningfully increase bus passenger numbers
The introduction of half-price public transport fares has resulted in a tiny increase in patronage on Metro buses but it’s a different story for the Derwent Ferry.