Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk hits back at Scott Morrison for ‘bullying’ intervention on coronavirus funeral exemption

The Queensland Premier said she would not be bullied by the Prime Minister over border restrictions

 

The Queensland Premier has hit back at the Prime Minister, accusing him of “bullying” her to intervene in the case of a woman who is unable to attend her father’s funeral because of coronavirus restrictions.

Scott Morrison called Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk this morning, appealing for her to allow an exemption for the woman, who is unable to leave hotel quarantine to be at the funeral.

Ms Palaszczuk said she wasn’t responsible for making decisions about exemptions, but said the phone call was a blatant attempt at bullying.

“It is the Chief Health Officer’s decision to make.

“The Prime Minister at the time said to me that he had not gone public, but Mr Speaker, I knew that he would go public.

“To use the tragedy of this personal family is disgusting Mr Speaker.”

An emotional letter drafted by the woman, Sarah, has been tabled by the LNP Opposition in Queensland Parliament.

It had previously been sent to Ms Palaszczuk.

“I came from virus-free Canberra, so the fact that I’m even in quarantine is beyond belief but the fact that I am being denied my basic human rights to care for my grief-stricken mother and little 11-year-old sister enrages, disgusts and devastates me at the same time,” Sarah said in the letter.

“I’m a graduate nurse from Brisbane and I just lost my dad!!!!!!! (sic)

“If you can’t see how disgusting this is, then you’re proving your approach is as horrible as most of the people I know are saying it is.

“Do you realise you aren’t actually helping anyone by doing this?”

Permission granted to attend private viewing

The ABC understands the woman was given an exemption to enter Queensland from a hotspot in Canberra, to go into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.

The funeral was due to be held during those 14 days.

Sources have told the ABC the woman applied for another exemption to leave the hotel during the 14-day quarantine period, which was denied.

Queensland Health has been contacted for comment.

The ABC has been told the Chief Health Officer will now allow the woman to attend a private viewing, but not the funeral.

Mr Morrison told radio station 4BC he called the Premier to intervene in the case.

“It’s not about politicians. It’s not about elections. The only thing that matters today is that Sarah can be with her 11-year-old sister and her mother while they mourn the passing of their father and husband at Mt Gravatt today.

“This is a heartbreaking case.

“This is the last opportunity to say farewell to her dad.

“Surely in the midst of all of this heartache in COVID and everything that everyone’s going through, surely just this once, this can be done.

“There has been no COVID cases in the ACT for more than 60 days.”

Hitting back, Ms Palaszczuk choked back tears in Parliament, as she detailed political toll the coronavirus

“Every single day it’s tough,” she said.

“Every single day for everyone on my side of this house

“I would hope that the Prime Minister would work in a cooperative manner with everyone across this country

“And this divisiveness, and these fights, and this intimidation and this bullying is the worst I’ve ever seen in my lifetime.”

The issue of border restrictions has become increasingly political, with opponents accusing the Premier of using it to gain voting advantage in the lead up to the October state election.

Source: abc