Mining camp plan ‘sensible option’

A DRASTIC proposal to house international arrivals in Queensland “mining camps” has sparked concerns about COVID-19 outbreak.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will take her plan to national cabinet next week, with authorities to also discuss it with the federal government in coming days.

The proposal is understood to have stumped the Morrison Government because Queensland does not need Commonwealth approval for changes to its quarantine system as long as it meets guidelines established last year.

Ms Palaszczuk’s plan could only operate at existing international ports – meaning arrivals would need to land somewhere with capacity to process international passengers before they were shuttled to a regional community.

Former federal Health Department boss Jane Halton, who led the Morrison Government’s review into hotel quarantine, said there had been “quite worrying” changes to the virus that highlighted quarantine systems would have to be adaptable.

“We don’t yet know what’s happened in Queensland so while we should have all options on the table – I think that is wise – we do need to think about what it takes to deliver a good-quality safe and effective quarantine and make sure that any option stacks up against that criteria,” she told the ABC.

She said any regional facility would have to be close to a hospital in case a returnee needed emergency care, was able to attract a skilled workforce and not create more risk of transmission as people were moved from an international airport to remote location.

Ms Palaszczuk said the government was going to look at all options, with one of those being mining camps.

“Some of these mining camps are four star, they are of a very good quality high standard,” she said.

The Premier said most of the facilities the government was looking at had balconies.

“With this new strain, we have to put all options on the table, and these are sensible, rational options,” she said.