Beds could be mothballed
THE remaining 500 beds at the Palaszczuk Government’s Wellcamp quarantine facility could be mothballed before they even open, with authorities unsure whether they will be required.
Stage two works at the Toowoomba precinct, which included readying the second tranche of beds, have quietly reached practical completion.
But a spokeswoman for Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the decision to bring any further beds online would be made by the program board, based on health advice.
Thirty guests were using Wellcamp last Friday while 600 people have stayed there since it opened in February.
News Corp Australia asked if there were beds in the remaining rooms yet to be brought online, but did not receive a response.
It comes as the spokeswoman revealed authorities had met with representatives from the cruise ship industry to discuss options to use Wellcamp for international/interstate arrivals if a Covid-19 outbreak occurred on board.
“If there is an outbreak of Covid, passengers will be accommodated at QRAC (Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre), if these passengers cannot travel home or do not have suitable accommodation,” she said.
Wellcamp, which the government is currently leasing off Wagner Corporation for 12 months, was effectively rendered useless last month when the government removed the requirement for unvaccinated international arrivals and close contacts to isolate.
But the spokeswoman said the facility was proving to protect vulnerable groups in the community who were most at risk from Covid-19 while also supporting the health system.
“The facility continues to act as the insurance policy we built it for,” she said.
“And such a facility, still receiving guests, requires staff to run the facility.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie has slammed the government for refilling the manager of operations position at Wellcamp.
The role, which is currently being advertised after needing to be vacated by the current manager, whose secondment is coming to an end, offers a salary of up to $135,000 a year.