Pinkenba quarantine facility no longer required, Wellcamp to be maintained in care and maintenance

Queensland Health has advised the State Government it does not currently require a dedicated quarantine facility.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said updated advice from the Chief Health Officer meant Queensland would change its approach to quarantine management.

The State Government has accepted that advice and advised the Australian Government it will not require use of its facility nearing completion at Pinkenba.

The Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp, which has been operating since February will be placed in care and maintenance under similar arrangements to those at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory.

It will cease hosting guests from 1 August but will remain available should the pandemic response settings change.

“Our Covid response made Queensland the jobs and lifestyle capital of Australia,” Mr Miles said.

“During the pandemic Queensland outperformed the rest of the country on employment, domestic economic growth, workforce participation, retail growth and interstate migration.

“Having a dedicated quarantine facility provided the confidence we needed to open state and international borders, and it provided an insurance mechanism against an unknown future.

“The expert advice was that we needed it so Queensland could cope with future unknowns and provide the certainty we needed to open up the state.

“We followed the advice of the experts then and we’re following it now.

“This situation is reflected around the country. The Commonwealth-funded facility in Perth hasn’t even opened and they are looking for new uses.”

Mr Miles said the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp has housed more than 700 people needing quarantine and isolation since it opened in February.

Mr Miles said the state would consider other uses for the remainder of the QRAC lease.

“I want to acknowledge everyone involved in the construction and operation of the facility,” Mr Miles said.

“And I want to thank the Wagners for their commitment to building this facility and getting it opened on time.”

Updated quarantine and isolation network strategy

• No requirement for the Centre for National Resilience Brisbane at Pinkenba to be commissioned as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre at Wellcamp to cease hosting guests from 1 August.
• Alternate uses for the Wellcamp facility will be investigated.
• The Quarantine Management Taskforce and the Quarantine Management Program Board will be disbanded

ENDS

Media contact: Amy Hunter 0423 651 484