Premier wants $1.5m for Territorians who quarantined in NSW

THIS IS A ONE-IN-ONEHUNDRED YEAR PANDEMIC. WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER AS AUSTRALIANS. THAT’S BEEN THE TERRITORY WAY ALL THROUGH THIS — HOW CAN WE HELP A MATE

THE Northern Territory will tear up a $1.5m hotel quarantine bill issued by New South Wales, with Chief Minister Michael Gunner telling his southern counterpart she’s “gammon”.

The NSW government has given the NT a $1.54m bill for quarantining 363 Territorians returning to Australia from overseas in its hotels between March 29 and September 30 last year.

Similar bills have been issued by NSW to Queensland and Western Australia, worth $30.1m and $7.3m respectively, with governments of both states declining to pay.

Mr Gunner has given NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian a serve over the NSW-issued invoice.

“Yeah, nah.

Gladys,” he said.

“This is a one-in-one-hundred year pandemic. We’re in this together as Australians.

“That’s been the Territory way all through this — how can we help a mate.”

Mr Gunner said the NT would not be sending a bill to NSW for quarantining its residents who returned to Australia via the Howard Springs quarantine facility even though “it would be far bigger than the bill you’ve sent us”.

Technically the federal government is responsible for issuing invoices for repatriated Australians that quarantine in Howard Springs.

The NT’s generosity, despite being Australia’s fiscally weakest jurisdiction, has in

MICHAEL GUNNER

Gammon, cluded covering the quarantine costs or return flights of unassuming travellers caught out by snap border closures while they’re in the air.

This included NSW travellers who were mid-flight in December 2020 when the Northern Territory declared parts of Sydney as hot spots due to the growing Northern Beaches cluster.

Premier Berejiklian’s office has been contacted for comment.

The Queensland and WA governments have also refused to meet the demands of NSW, with the Health Minister in the Sunshine State and WA Premier Mark McGowan physically shredding the bill.

The NT government has also argued the invoice from NSW was contrary to national cabinet discussions where it was agreed the states and territories could not bill each other for hotel quarantine expenses incurred by their citizens returning from overseas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to get involved in the bill shredding brouhaha, saying it was a matter for the jurisdictions to resolve among themselves.