Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is walking away from the national cabinet's plan to avoid snap lockdowns. The Premier boasts that the state remains open—that's a fact—with the cafes and restaurants trading and the state still hosting spectator sports. But businesses are crying out. They need help and they need help now. They have no choice but to close their doors. Without a pathway out of this pandemic, families remain separated due to border closures, and businesses and holiday-makers are in limbo and are too afraid to make decisions. Every time the state warns of a potential snap lockdown, trade is restricted. Businesses in the economy take a hit. The Queensland Premier needs to stick to the vaccination targets that were agreed to with the national cabinet. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we are currently on the way out of this pandemic, hopefully. Labor needs to stop locking down the state. Let us get our kids back to school, our workers back on the job and industry up again.

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