“Blatant scare mongering”: QLD Premier cops flak
Annastacia Palaszczuk has copped backlash from members of the Morrison government after being accused of being "out of control".
The Queensland Premier has been blasted over her refusal to agree to a plan to open state borders, with government members claiming she is keeping Queenslanders in a “state of perpetual anxiety”.
The National cabinet has been working closely with the Doherty Institute, who have advised lockdowns and enforced border closures would no longer be needed when vaccinate rate reach a specific threshold.
Despite this, Ms Palaszczuk continues to defy instructions from federal government, which has infuriated many senior cabinet figures of the Morrison government.
Her concerns about opening borders stem from the issue over needing to vaccinate children under 12 against coronavirus, and how they would be put at risk.
Ms Palaszczuk told parliament she wants more research into the impacts of COVID-19 on children and for this risk to be considered in the plans to open borders.
“Unless there is an answer on how these young people are going to be vaccinated, you are putting this most vulnerable population at risk,” she said.
“You open up this state and you let the virus in here, every child under 12 is vulnerable."
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews accused the Premier of “scaremongering”, while Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg continued to attack the Premier on Sunrise on Thursday morning.
“It‘s a desperate denial of the reality and is not based on the medical advice,” he said.
“The medical advice is that we should vaccinated people aged 12 to 15 – which we’re doing.”
Joining in on the argument, LNP senator and Assistant Minister for Women Amanda Stoker called Palaszczuk’s arguments “utterly unreasonable”.
“No where in the world is there a vaccine that’s approved for under 12s, nowhere,” she said.
“She’s set a goalpost that can be met by no one."
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