State of emergency extended at 11th hour as Delta variant looms large
As Australia grapples with the spread of COVID-19, the Palaszczuk Government is extending its emergency declaration on the day it is due to expire.
Health Minister Yvette D'Ath (left) and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young (right) discussing plans during the January lockdown. (Supplied)
The powerful declaration has effectively allowed the Chief Health Officer, Jeannette Young, to lead the government response to the pandemic for 17 months. It underpins the use of various powers, measures and restrictions to deal with COVID-19, bypassing the normal processes of parliament and government.
Queensland was the first Australian jurisdiction to declare a state of emergency, however it is not permanent and has to be extended every few months. That requires a regulation to be prepared and approved by Governor-in-Council.
Last year, the declarations were routinely extended the day before they were due to expire. While the government recently sought to amend legislation to allow more flexibility, the most recent extension was “until the end of the day on 29 June 2021”.
InQueensland understands another extension will go to Governor-in-Council today, as the government and various health and law enforcement agencies continue to discuss the implications of the Delta variant spreading across Australia. Even if the extension is merely procedural, it adds to the workload on a day where lockdowns – allowed under the declaration – are being considered, and the timing does not allow for any delay. Without an extension, Queensland’s COVID-19 response would technically be illegal.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Young had planned to brief the media on the COVID-19 situation at 9am, but then pushed their much-anticipated update back to 11am. That clashed with an update from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who is already managing an outbreak and vast lockdown, so Queenslanders had to wait this morning.
With one of 170 at-risk miners in Queensland already testing positive, an infected flight attendant having crewed flights into Brisbane and the Gold Coast, school holidays in two states and Sydney and surrounds still being in lockdown, Queensland faces an anxious wait to determine whether other people infected with the more contagious Delta variant have been in the community.
Palaszczuk yesterday acknowledged the state was “on the verge” of another costly lockdown. She urged Queenslanders to listen to the health advice and act accordingly.
Young will become Governor in November, requiring the government to find a replacement. Her deputy, Sonya Bennett, is also leaving to take up a role with the Federal Government.
