Australia to Reduce Incoming Int. Passenger Capacity from July 2021

[justinbrett]

I get that's the political line, but if they weren't expecting ~1000 returnees, plus Paralympics from Japan etc, then the cap may look a little different.

They're heading into an existing Quarantine hotel, not a new/temporary facility like Christmas Island

There’s also over 5000 in HQ in Brisbane, the vast majority of domestic.

That’s almost the capacity of Sydney international quarantine. If they had this capacity what have they been doing the last 18 months?

 

[Kendall Roy]

There’s also over 5000 in HQ in Brisbane, the vast majority of domestic.

That’s almost the capacity of Sydney international quarantine. If they had this capacity what have they been doing the last 18 months?

Good Q - Perhaps more relaxed HQ operational policies for Dom quarantine vs Int?

 

[mviy]

Queensland are building Wellcamp unilaterally now. Hope you like the 2 hour bus ride.

Front Page of the Courier Mail - "COVID CAMP CHAOS" - "Govt ignores own experts and begins regional quarantine hub" - "The Palaszczuk government has ignored its own advice and will build at taxpayer expense a quarantine camp next to Toowoomba's airport, despite having no guarantee flights will land there. Documents obtained by The Courier-Mail under Right to Information also revealed state bureaucrats said the back-up bus plan to transport people posed a Covid-19 infection risk. The public won't be told how much the 1000-bed regional hub will cost."

This suggests that Wellcamp is just a political stunt and not a credible solution to the quarantine problem.

 

[Ric]

Sarcasm alert.

It’s such a great idea to be cooped up on a bus for a 2hr ride with people who may or may not have COVID, so you can get to your cabin style quarantine accommodation to minimise shared airflow. Yep I know most of them also shared your flight for 24hrs as well, but you know those super effective aircraft HEPA filters.

Sarcasm alert.

Surely business class passengers will have their own Chauffer driven limousines?

 

[jakeseven7]

Sarcasm alert.

Surely business class passengers will have their own Chauffer driven limousines?

Rumours are if you fly F, you will get a certain soon to be ‘moved on’ QLD CHO drive you herself in her C-class (sponsored by Pfizer…)

 

[madrooster]

If they had this capacity what have they been doing the last 18 months?

They haven't had that capacity. They recently had to do an urgent scramble to bring on more hotels especially in Brisbane. The Voco Gold Coast is being used again after they weren't being used is another example. These hotels have all been unprepared in all of this.

Now they have realised they can only recruit so many hotels before it becomes unsustainable, which is that breaking point that has now been reached.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I don’t think the assumption that everyone sent to WTB is a flyer is valid. Toowoomba has been used for quarantine in the past. People entering at Goondiwindi and Wallangarra were mostly directed to drive to Toowoomba, about two hours. Not sure if that is still happening but there is very little capacity in either border town or nearby and nothing suitable for quarantine. Toowoomba is also about 2 1/2 hours from Tugun, but arrivals there were directed to Quarantine on the Gold Coast or sometimes Brisbane.

When Qld made the pause announcement the split up of quarantine mentioned was 36% international, 64% interstate. No numbers but it was claimed interstate migration was the vast bulk of that 64%, which fits with the provisional ABS numbers, which show a net migration to Qld, far more than to any other state. However gross migration north is 4 times higher than net, it cuts both ways. Can’t find data but obviously a large proportion on interstate migration to Qld is by car, with NSW always having been by far the greatest source.

So looks to me like WTB is really a response to Qld’s self inflicted interstate quarantine problem. One can understand the Feds not wanting to fund that. But don’t know for sure, can’t find any plans published for the facility, all there was revealed yesterday was a grader driving up and down.

cheers skip

 

[justinbrett]

I don’t think the assumption that everyone sent to WTB is a flyer is valid. Toowoomba has been used for quarantine in the past. People entering at Goondiwindi and Wallangarra were mostly directed to drive to Toowoomba, about two hours. Not sure if that is still happening but there is very little capacity in either border town or nearby and nothing suitable for quarantine. Toowoomba is also about 2 1/2 hours from Tugun, but arrivals there were directed to Quarantine on the Gold Coast or sometimes Brisbane.

When Qld made the pause announcement the split up of quarantine mentioned was 36% international, 64% interstate. No numbers but it was claimed interstate migration was the vast bulk of that 64%, which fits with the provisional ABS numbers, which show a net migration to Qld, far more than to any other state. However gross migration north is 4 times higher than net, it cuts both ways. Can’t find data but obviously a large proportion on interstate migration to Qld is by car, with NSW always having been by far the greatest source.

So looks to me like WTB is really a response to Qld’s self inflicted interstate quarantine problem. One can understand the Feds not wanting to fund that. But don’t know for sure, can’t find any plans published for the facility, all there was revealed yesterday was a grader driving up and down.

cheers skip

Listening to AP yesterday, she sounds convinced that managed quarantine (14 days) isn't going anywhere. Dan and Gladys seem to be on a different path to Mark and Anastacia. If QLD are still doing domestic quarantine next year, may as well leave the federation.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Yeah, should be an interesting National Cabinet today.

Have to admit I looked at the first three minutes, watched the grader drive up and down, thought ‘stunt’ and switched off. They forgot to invite the Mayor of Toowoomba.

Cheers skip

 

[drron]

Yeah, should be an interesting National Cabinet today.

Have to admit I looked at the first three minutes, watched the grader drive up and down, thought ‘stunt’ and switched off. They forgot to invite the Mayor of Toowoomba.

Cheers skip

But at the end of the clip on the Channel 7 news they interviewed the Mayor of Toowoomba who had no idea the developement was happening as the Council hadn't been told.
definitely a stunt.

 

[Pushka]

Members of the Doherty Institute are addressing the National Body this afternoon advising that the numbers positive aren’t preventive to opening up with vaccination targets. So the states can’t accuse the Feds of interpreting the data.

 

[Seat0B]

Sarcasm alert.

Surely business class passengers will have their own Chauffer driven limousines?

I went with , but could also have gone with if it's with a non-vaxxed chauffeur!

 

[Must...Fly!]

So looks to me like WTB is really a response to Qld’s self inflicted interstate quarantine problem. One can understand the Feds not wanting to fund that. But don’t know for sure, can’t find any plans published for the facility, all there was revealed yesterday was a grader driving up and down.

I 100% agree and actually came to post exactly this. It is the perfect solution to a problem that should not exist - quaranting domestic arrivals. And there is no way known a single dollar of federal government money should fund a facility of that nature, ever.

 

[Mattg]

The public announcement will be tomorrow afternoon after National Cabinet.

Hmm. Well National Cabinet has taken place and there is no mention of the arrival caps.

National Cabinet Statement | Prime Minister of Australia

www.pm.gov.au

 

[PineappleSkip]

Cold feet, hence no triumphant presser. cheers skip

National Cabinet agreed to establish a cross jurisdictional working group led by the Commonwealth Secretary of Health, with the heads of all state and territory Health Departments to report back to National Cabinet by 3 September 2021, on the health and hospital system capacity and workforce needs to address expected demands under the National Plan, taking into account the Doherty Institute modelling reports to National Cabinet.

 

[Ric]

Rumours are if you fly F, you will get a certain soon to be ‘moved on’ QLD CHO drive you herself in her C-class (sponsored by Pfizer…)

Are there still F seats coming to Oz??

 

[Ric]

I went with , but could also have gone with if it's with a non-vaxxed chauffeur!

If coming in F as suggested, surely the soon to be "moved on" Qld CHO is vaxxed??

But back on topic, has the Federal Government officially extended the reduced caps to end of October?

 

[levelnine]

Hmm. Well National Cabinet has taken place and there is no mention of the arrival caps.

National Cabinet Statement | Prime Minister of Australia

www.pm.gov.au

Yep. Looks like they've decided to change their comms strategy on caps. Quite a cynical move -- no announcement means no reporting of it on the news. That makes your article the only news on the extension of the caps -- relish the exclusive!

 

[Mattg]

Yep. Looks like they've decided to change their comms strategy on caps. Quite a cynical move -- no announcement means no reporting of it on the news. That makes your article the only news on the extension of the caps -- relish the exclusive!

As much as it's nice to have an "exclusive" story, I really don't think it's good enough that the government hasn't even had the courtesy to make a formal announcement. 27,000 Australians' lives are being enormously disrupted by this decision. Where's the accountability?

(That's a rhetorical question - I know there isn't any.)

 

[levelnine]

As much as it's nice to have an "exclusive" story, I really don't think it's good enough that the government hasn't even had the courtesy to make a formal announcement. 27,000 Australians' lives are being enormously disrupted by this decision. Where's the accountability?

Indeed. National Cabinet was designed to ensure there is almost no transparency of its proceedings and decisions, as many lawyers have pointed out: The National Cabinet: Presidentialised Politics, Power-sharing and a Deficit in Transparency – AUSPUBLAW