Netball a super deal for state

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ultra-safe approach to reopening the Queensland border, which has been a source of frustration for many businesses, seems to be paying off as Queensland has become everybody’s safe haven.

Yesterday, the Premier announced that the Super Netball season will be played around Queensland. Under the new model, all non-Queensland netball teams will move to Queensland and play games around the state, including in Cairns.

This announcement came following news last week that the

AFL would also be moving teams to Queensland. That’s two examples of top level sport rushing here, with all the national exposure it attracts.

Since the coronavirus outbreak began, there has been a nearconstant source of debate about when to tighten and reduce restrictions, who should be wearing masks and when to reopen borders. Ultimately, examples such as

Victoria, or the United States’ slide into failure, have highlighted the merits of this cautious approach.

Businesses reliant on tourism, particularly in Cairns, have certainly had their share of issues with the Premier’s stance.

For a while, it seemed like an agonising wait for an answer to the question “when will we be reopening?”

But now we are open, and barring a Victoria-level backslide, it seems like we’ll be reaping the benefits for a while. Queensland isn’t small by any means, and a surface area of about 1.8 million sq km should make keeping everyone 1.5m apart a piece of cake.

Jack Lawrie jack.lawrie@news.com.au