BORDER STANCE SPARKS DEBATE
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk has taken aim at Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce over his criticism of Queensland’s border stance.
Queensland on Monday recorded no new cases of Covid-19 while Ms Palaszczuk announced two new vaccination centres would open on the Gold Coast.
It comes as 12 more people have died from Covid in NSW as the state recorded 787 new cases.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has all but confirmed October 11 will be the day the 70 per cent road map of freedom will begin.
“At 80 per cent you will be able to go anywhere freely in New South Wales, you will be able to stand up and have a drink at a pub, you will be able to do obviously consider international travel and other things,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Joyce, who attacked her border stance on Monday, was “entitled to his views”.
“I think he should be sitting down to what’s his name, Darren Chester, who’s just left the Nationals,” she said.
“I think he’s got to focus on his own job, and let me do my job,” the Premier said.
Ms Palaszczuk was asked to respond to the Prime Minister’s call for borders to open once vaccination rates hit 80 per cent.
“We’ve got national cabinet happening this Friday, I’m really looking forward to that,” she said.
Asked what life will be like once 80 per cent of people are vaccinated, Ms Palaszczuk said: “Look what our life is like now in Queensland.”
She said she wanted people to keep coming out to get vaccinated.
“That is going to help us if we have another breakout, ending up in a lockdown situation,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk launched two new vaccination centres on the Gold Coast – one at the Tugun Private Hospital and at Coomera.