Herbert MP calls for urgent clarity on ‘localised lockdowns’
Member for Herbert Phillip Thompson is calling on State Labor MP Scott Stewart to stop treating Townsville business owners like mugs and clarify his government’s plan if COVID-19 was to return to North Queensland.
Mr Stewart told the Townsville Bulletin that, “If an outbreak were to occur, more restrictions would be applied to that community to help contain the outbreak, not a blanket approach to Townsville or North Queensland.”
Mr Thompson said he was pleased to see the State Labor Government had backflipped and was moving towards a regional management zone style policy but too many details remained unclear.
“It’s now 128 days since 200 local medical professionals and businesspeople along with myself co-signed a letter to the Premier calling for regional management zones which would allow areas without cases to open up further than the rest of the state,” he said.
“It’s good to hear that there aren’t plans for further state-wide blanket lockdowns as we’ve been calling for but it’s a kick in the guts for business owners to find these things out through a small quote in a media article which doesn’t provide any detail or clarity.
“At a time when Victoria is under siege and the border with New South Wales is about to be shut again North Queensland businesses need certainty from their State Government, not to be reading about a major change in policy in this way.
“The three State Labor MPs need to start fighting for the businesses in their region and stand up to their south-east bosses. At the very least they should stop being so secretive about what Brisbane is planning for Townsville.”
ENDS