The Queensland government has revealed it has been paying almost $500,000 per day for COVID-19 quarantine hotels since opening its Wellcamp facility two months ago.
The state announced an end to the majority of its hotel quarantine program on February 5 when its new purpose-built facility near Toowoomba officially opened.
Deputy Premier Steven Miles said five hotels are still operating in regional Queensland, and one on the Gold Coast.
He said the government had spent close to $27 million on quarantine hotels since Wellcamp opened, but insisted savings had been made.
"Since opening Wellcamp and beginning the hotel decommissioning we have saved $8.5 million per month," he told parliament on Thursday.
"By the time the additional hotels such as those in regional Queensland cease in the coming months, there will be a further saving of $5.7 million per month."
It is unclear how much the government is paying to lease the Wellcamp facility from the Wagner Group.
Mr Miles' response came after Liberal National Party leader David Crisafulli asked why Brisbane's Stamford Hotel had been paid more than $3 million for "empty rooms and meals that were never served".
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk defended the ongoing payments, saying the government had contractual obligations, with 22 hotels contracted to provide quarantine services at the height of the pandemic.
"They are contracted over a period of time," she told parliament on Thursday.
"As you wind things down ... and you start something new, there are contracts, and you have to honour those contracts."
Before Mr Miles clarified the costs, Ms Palaszczuk sidestepped another question from Mr Crisafulli asking for an exact dollar figure being paid for quarantine hotels.
The premier stressed quarantine for people arriving in Australia has always been a federal responsibility.
"We did the Commonwealth's job, and it's absolutely hypocritical for the leader of the opposition to come in here today and talk about something which is Canberra's responsibility," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Meanwhile, the current Omicron wave of COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the state's health system, with thousands of staff off work.
The number of furloughed health workers has risen from 1596 on March 20 to 3232, Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said on Thursday.
"Living with COVID doesn't mean pretending COVID doesn't exist," she said.
"A new reality will always necessitate additional hospital capacity for the continued demand the virus will create.
"We are not done with COVID yet. We know that it will continue to add additional pressure to our already stretched hospital system."
A total of 362 COVID-positive patients are in hospital in Queensland, with 16 in intensive care.
The state recorded another 7289 virus cases on Thursday, and five additional deaths.
