BORDER HOP, IN THE CLINK
$4000 FINES NOT ENOUGH
GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate wants fines for repeat offenders illegally crossing into Queensland doubled to more than $8000 as the State Government threatened border hoppers with jail.
Cr Tate called for the harsher penalties as the state dialled up border protection measures after parts of New South Wales were yesterday declared COVID-19 hot spots.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has blocked people travelling from the local government areas of Liverpool and Campbelltown – amounting to 77 suburbs – from entering the state.
Anyone who attempts to will be turned away, face fines of up to $4000 or in extreme cases, up to six months in jail.
Cr Tate welcomed the increased penalty as a deterrent and said it should be even higher for repeat offenders.
“$4000 is a lot of money,” he said. “However, if there are repeat offenders, the second fine really should be more than double that.
“In a way they have had a warning and are basically giving the finger to Queenslanders so we should throw the book at them.”
The new NSW hotspot blocking orders apply to everyone who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the past 14 days, except people needed in Queensland for essential purposes. Queenslanders who have been in these hot spots are allowed to return home, but must quarantine in government provided accommodation.
State Health Minister Steven Miles said tough new jail penalties would be added as a punishment option to existing fast-tracked public health directive laws. On top of the hefty fines in place, measures would be made available to enable locking up those breaking COVID-19 rules for a maximum of six months.
“Right now the maximum penalty on the spot for breaching public health orders is $4003,” Mr Miles said. “But in some cases that fine appears not to be a sufficient penalty, perhaps people from other states feel they might be able to get away without having to pay for it, perhaps people think $4000 is worth it to come to Queensland.
“So this week we will move amendments that will allow us to apply a penalty of imprisonment for those health directions.
“I hope that will demonstrate to the public just how serious we are about enforcing these measures.”
It comes as an outbreak of the potentially deadly coronavirus was found at the Crossroads Hotel in Casula, NSW, where 21 cases have been linked to the restaurant.
No new cases were found in Queensland in the past 24 hours. There are four active infections in the state, all of which were found while the individual was in quarantine.