Facility probe to see light of day
AN INVESTIGATION into the state’s controversial $215m Wellcamp Covid quarantine facility will be released by the Queensland Auditor-General due to the “level of public interest”.
Thursday marks one year to the day since Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk proudly opened the taxpayer-funded facility, before it was officially mothballed on August 1.
But it had been barely used from last April after Queensland’s quarantine requirement for unvaccinated travellers into the state was officially scrapped, with only about 700 people ever staying at the facility.
The government struck a deal to build the facility with the prolific Wagner Corporation – owned by one of Queensland’s richest families – who will take ownership of the facility once the lease expires in April.
Auditor-General Brendan Worrall began the probe into the 1000-bed facility shortly after it was officially opened, after a request from LNP deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie.
In an update made Tuesday the Queensland Audit Office said the audit of the project was “largely complete”.
But the QAO also said it was still awaiting information from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning – who oversaw the project – saying “we are in the process of resolving some follow-up questions”.
“Once we have resolved these questions, we will finalise our findings and draft our final report for consideration by management,” the update said.
“We also advised the member that given the public interest in this audit we intend to prepare and table a report to parliament when it is complete.”
Deputy Premier and State Development Minister Steven Miles revealed the cost to Queensland taxpayers during last year’s Senate estimate hearings, after months of the government refusing to release any figures citing “commercial in confidence”.