Queensland has said one final goodbye to hotel quarantine but that doesn't mean the end of 14-day stays for everyone.
The Palaszczuk government has officially opened the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre (QRAC), a 500-bed facility that will soon increase to 1,000 beds, at Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba.
So, who's this quarantine facility for?
Who'll quarantine at Wellcamp facility?
Currently, there are 21 people staying at the Queensland Regional Accommodation Centre and, in future, the facility will provide quarantine accommodation for:
- unvaccinated international arrivals
- mariners
- people who need to isolate but can't (for example, they may live with vulnerable persons)
- travellers from countries with vaccines that aren't recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration
- refugees who have not been able to access vaccinations.
With 1,000 beds eventually at Wellcamp and another 1,000 beds at a facility at Pinkenba in Brisbane due to come online in a couple of months, it's unclear if or when these facilities might reach capacity.
Do we need Wellcamp quarantine hub?
With domestic borders now open and international travel resuming in less than a week, it's fair to question whether we really need this facility.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has said unvaccinated travellers would be among those using the facility.
However, it is worth noting that many major airlines — such as Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand — all have vaccine mandates for passengers.
International students who have been vaccinated with vaccines that are not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), was another cohort the state government pointed to.
However, some universities — such as the University of Queensland — have introduced mandates, requiring anyone attending their campuses to be vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk remains adamant this facility will be of use in the future.
"Three years ago we did not have a pandemic. Who was to know Queensland and the world would face a pandemic?" she asked.
"I don't know what's around the corner, but … I know that I'm future-proofing this state for whatever is thrown our way."
Isn't Queensland getting another quarantine hub?
Yes, Queensland is getting a second quarantine hub.
The federal government is constructing its 1,000-bed facility at Pinkenba, near the Brisbane airport, on Crown-owned land, which means the facility will be owned by the Commonwealth and not leased from private enterprise.
This site was agreed upon by both the state and federal governments before the Queensland government decided to go ahead with its own facility.
The Pinkenba quarantine hub is expected to open by April and is located a short drive from the Brisbane airport and is closer to tertiary hospitals.
While the state government had hoped the Wellcamp facility would entice international airlines to fly directly into Wellcamp Airport, a spokesperson for Deputy Prime Minister and federal Transport Minister Barnaby Joyce said it might be some time before planes could land at the Wellcamp Airport.
"Airlines are responsible for choosing the locations they wish to fly to, not the Queensland Labor government," the spokesperson said. "Airlines can apply for approval to access Wellcamp at any time, but none have done so."
This means a 90-minute bus trip from Brisbane to Wellcamp will remain.
What's the cost of the quarantine facility?
It's been revealed that taxpayers have spent $48.8 million on capital costs alone for the Palaszczuk government's Wellcamp quarantine facility.
That figure does not include the cost of the 12-month lease of the site from the Wagner Corporation or the operational costs of running the facility.
Ms Palaszczuk remains adamant those figures are "commercial-in-confidence".
The disclosure of some of the cost of Wellcamp came after Ms Palaszczuk said she would review releasing the cost if the federal government released its costings for the Pinkenba facility, which it agreed to do once the project was complete.
