Berejiklian tells QLD govt. to pay the $30M it owes for quarantine

As Queensland continues to quarrel with the Federal government over a proposed quarantine hub, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says this is no excuse for the sunshine state to refuse to pay the $30 million it owes for NSW hotel quarantine.

On Wednesday, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said his state would not pay the money it owed NSW until Prime Minister Scott Morrison allowed repatriation flights to land at Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport.

Ms Berejiklian said it was agreed last year that Queensland would cover the cost of their citizens who will be quarantined in other states and that it’s now a “lame excuse” for Queensland to not pay. 

“Queensland’s quarantine hub issue is with the federal government, while this is a direct debt they owe to the people of NSW and they need to do the decent thing and pay up,” Ms Berejiklian said. 

According to Mr Miles the refusal to pay was about “stepping up where the Commonwealth has failed” by proposing the national quarantine facility in southern Queensland. 

“We will not be paying that bill, not while the Commonwealth refuses to endorse our plan for a national quarantine centre,” said Mr Miles and the fact that the recent cases were of a more infectious strain of the virus had  “highlighted the need for purpose-built facilities”. 

Dominic Perrottet, NSW Treasurer, said it wasn’t right that Queensland was refusing to pay for Queenslanders’ quarantine bills when entering NSW.

“We acted in good faith in this process and it is disappointing that this agreement is now being treated in this way,” Mr Perrottet said.

Irit Jackson, 25^th February 2021