Fears Grow It Will Be A Queenslanders Only Christmas This Year

There are fears it will be a Queenslanders only Christmas this year as the state government provides no sign of when hard border closures will end. 

Deputy Premier Steven Miles says keeping Covid out of the state is the best present the government can give Queenslanders. 

“I don’t think Queenslanders will want to let Covid in for Christmas if we don’t have it but NSW still does,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is adamant that state borders should be opened when 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated as was previously agreed on in the national plan. 

To complicate matters, both Queensland Premier Anastacia Palaszczuk and WA Premier Mark McGowan have changed their tune on the matter, unwilling to commit to the plan. 

Morrison aired his concerns on Weekend Sunrise appearing to take a swipe at both premiers. 

“There comes a time when you’ve got to honour the arrangement you’ve made with the Australian people, and that is when you get to 80 per cent vaccination, it’s very clear that you can start opening up. I think that puts the big challenge on the premiers. I mean, they've had the power to do what they’ve been doing. They’ve always had them," he said.

"But, you know, there comes a time when you just got to move on and get on with it,” he added.

There are concerns Queensland may fall short of the 80% target by the Christmas holidays as other states remain on track.

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