Beattie broadside on border closures
Ex-Labor premier urges states follow NSW pandemic model
RESPECTED and longserving Queensland Labor Premier Peter Beattie has launched a salvo at Labor states over their handling of pandemic restrictions, saying Australia must “adopt the NSW model or we’re going to go broke”.
The remarks will send a jolt through the Queensland election campaign, where Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk has been under pressure on borders.
Mr Beattie, who said it “pained” him to make the remarks as a lifelong Labor member, took specific aim at border restrictions, declaring: “This can’t be on a state-bystate basis, we are a country after all and frankly you’re just killing the economy, killing jobs and the economic devastation will be with us for years”.
He said he understood states have acted to “protect their citizenry” and have been “over cautious” but said “now we have to move on.”
“We’ve now got to become a nation and think about what’s good for Australia and what’s good for everyone,” he said.
“Elections come and go and governments come and go but the pain of this will remain unless we get it right.”
Mr Beattie’s remarks, made in a brief interview with The Daily Telegraph, come less than a week from Queensland polling day, with polls on a knife’s edge.
Urging for a “rethink”, Mr Beattie said objectively the NSW approach, using contract tracing to isolate small areas, to the economy and borders had been superior: “The NSW model is the one Australia has to adopt”.
He conceded Queensland’s approach had been popular locally, but said it was time for it to change on borders.
“I think initially the Queensland government approach was probably the right one, but I think we’ve moved past that now. I’ve got no doubt there are a lot of people who support the Queensland government, but this has gone on for (too long).”
Noting that a vaccine is still some time away, he said “what worked in the past won’t work in the future”, and that states need to find a more economically viable way to live with the virus.
“Whoever wins in Queensland will have to pick up the pieces whether its the current government or a new government ... they will be dealing with the economics of COVID and it’s the same in Victoria.
“What may have given people security in the past and made them feel safe will not make them feel safe in the future ... Queensland is a small business state and frankly unless you get them driving jobs and opportunities then you don’t have any economic growth.”
He said NSW had shown COVID could be managed “the hard way” – keeping the economy and borders open while using strict contact tracing to crack down on local cases.
“Queensland has not had anywhere near the number of overseas people returning as NSW,” Mr Beattie said.
Premier Annastascia Palaszczuk has agreed to an “aspiration” to reopen the state by December, but has noted “that will depend on the health advice”.
“It also depends on the situation in Victoria, and we’re also monitoring the situation in New South Wales closely.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has repeatedly sparred with Ms Palaszczuk over the border closures, pointing out that NSW was baring the load of international arrivals and that Queensland appeared to be making the rules up as it went along.