Susan McDonald (Queensland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Queensland markets itself as the Sunshine State, but, for people holed up in quarantine hotels, 'sunshine' is just the light source they can see from behind their locked doors. Maybe under this Labor state government it's more appropriate to put 'State of Paralysis' or 'State of Confusion' on our numberplates. The Queensland government insists people must quarantine in hotels at great personal expense, but just last week it approved interstate boarding school students to quarantine at home with their families. I fully support this move, but the question must be asked: why can't the convenience of home quarantine be extended to the wider population?

After putting up the 'no vacancy' sign on quarantine hotels last week and preventing people, even native Queenslanders, from coming home, Premier Palaszczuk suddenly found room for cricketers and the families of NRL players. The continual flip-flopping of COVID quarantine policy in Queensland is a direct reflection of a governing style that's based on focus groups, public relations flacks and image consultants rather than evidence based, practical action. The insistence on hotel quarantine and the resulting halt to new arrivals have prevented doctors from working and prevented people from attending funerals and seeing gravely ill relatives.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator McDonald. It being 2 pm, it's questions without notice.