In recent days, PM Scott Morrison has firmed his stance on opening Australia up and “learning to live with Covid”. Clearly, there is a sense in Canberra, at least, that the Australian public is well and truly ready to move on. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has been forced into an about-face by his own party, into supporting the PM’s plan.
But Morrison still faces some formidable opposition: namely, state premiers. Thanks to the way Australia’s federal system of government divides responsibilities, the state governments have enjoyed almost total power during the pandemic.
Having won the pandemic powers, they’re clearly determined to enjoy them.
A regional COVID-19 quarantine facility will be built west of Brisbane, despite being repeatedly rejected by the federal government.
Queensland, along with WA, is one of the most recalcitrant states. Premiers of both states have bluntly stated that they’ll ignore the PM’s roadmap and continue to impose lockdowns and border closures whenever they see fit.
Queensland has also increasingly usurped federal powers, even beyond the pandemic. The Queensland state government operates virtually its own diplomatic mission to China. Now, it’s usurping another properly federal prerogative, running international borders.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced today that Cabinet had approved the project, to be built on vacant land at near Wellcamp airport, just outside Toowoomba.
The announcement came as the state recorded two new cases of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine.
Victoria, Australia’s worst Covid state, explicitly rejected federal assistance when it designed its own disastrous hotel quarantine scheme. That scheme lead directly to nearly all of Australia’s Covid deaths, and months of lockdowns. Queensland has clearly learned nothing from Victoria.
On the other hand, the federal government rejected exactly this quarantine facility, in July. The facility fails to meet Commonwealth guidelines for regional quarantine, including proximity to tertiary hospital facilities and an international airport. The federal government has already announced plans for a quarantine facility in Brisbane.
But another, particularly Queensland factor, may be at play. Someone is going to make a lot of money out of this government policy.
Construction firm Wagners first submitted the plan to use its Wellcamp airport, just west of Toowoomba, as the landing point for some of the Australians stranded overseas in January.
The financial arrangement between the state government and the Wagner family will be commercial-in-confidence, but the state government has signed a one-year lease, with the option of extending to two or three years[…]
Millionaire businessman John Wagner said the facility would create local jobs.
“Just by the fact that we have to produce 3,000 meals a day, [the region] will really benefit from this,” he said.
Well, someone’s going to benefit.
Reading between the lines, it is clear that the Queensland government is not going to give up its pandemic powers easily.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles […] said travellers would be transported by bus to the site from Brisbane airport, if the Commonwealth Government decided not to allow flights to land at Wellcamp airport.
ABC Australia
In other words, the Queensland government is planning to keep its borders tightly regulated, if not closed off, for the foreseeable future.
Power-mad state premiers will never give up their near-absolute Covid power. Especially not when propaganda-terrified voters keep rewarding their little dictators.
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