From COVID to cops? Fate of abandoned quarantine site ‘sad and absurd’

1 week ago 8

The destiny of the Pinkenba quarantine hub has been decided aft astir 2 years, with the national authorities announcing it would beryllium handed implicit to the Australian Federal Police.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus confirmed the site, successful Brisbane’s east, would beryllium utilized for constabulary training, with further backing provided from the national government.

The federally owned and operated 500-bed quarantine installation astatine Pinkenba, bare since completion successful 2022, volition beryllium converted to a constabulary grooming facility.

The Centre for National Resilience, a quarantine hub built successful effect to the COVID pandemic, was officially finished connected August 25 – less than a period aft the Queensland authorities advised the Commonwealth it would nary longer beryllium needed.

The land, owned by the Department of Defence, is successful an concern country adjacent to Brisbane Airport.

Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the national government’s determination to usage the tract for constabulary grooming was disappointing.

Brisbane lord politician Adrian Schrinner went further, calling the determination a “sad and absurd outcome” and “truly demoralising for those radical sleeping unsmooth successful Brisbane”.

“It’s been 641 days since I wrote to the national authorities urging them to enactment the idle and bare 500-bed installation to amended use,” Schrinner said.

“Had the national authorities acted, that’s 641 nights that hundreds of people, including women and children, won’t person been forced to slumber successful cars and tents astatine sites crossed Brisbane.”

In 2023, Scanlon announced a $10 cardinal concern to person the bare 500-bed installation into situation accommodation.

“We person been trying to enactment with the national authorities since past year, putting wealth connected the array and gathering each their requests, including to supply a connection for the Pinkenba site,” Scanlon said.

An artist’s content of the proposed Centre for National Resilience astatine Pinkenba adjacent Brisbane Airport.

“It’s disappointing fixed the clip and enactment we enactment in, but ultimately, we’ve ever said this was a national authorities decision.”

Scanlon said the $10 cardinal initially offered for Pinkenba would beryllium redirected by the section to supply different means of lodging support.

But repurposing the federally owned and operated Pinkenba tract for lodging oregon situation accommodation was ne'er a straightforward proposal.

Asked successful March past twelvemonth astir Pinkenba’s aboriginal usage for situation accommodation, Gallagher’s bureau said it was “too acold from the further indispensable enactment services for [family unit oregon homelessness] accommodation and truthful not considered suitable”.

Community work groups echoed these concerns and added their own, including the facility’s plan (the beds are successful units without kitchens oregon laundries), space, costs and region from allied wellness services and transport infrastructure.

Micah Projects main enforcement Karyn Walsh told reporters past year: “Pinkenba is not the magic solution to homelessness.

“It is not arsenic elemental arsenic ‘everyone connected the streets, spell to Pinkenba’.

“People cannot enactment determination for agelong periods of time. It is not acceptable up for that.

“It is surely not a suitable tract for radical you spot successful the interior metropolis surviving successful tents ... [many of which] request a precocious level of care.

“When it was built, it was built for a circumstantial purpose, and that was quarantine.”

Premier Steven Miles shared a akin sentiment successful a connection connected Friday.

“We didn’t deliberation this was a bully tract for a quarantine installation and, for immoderate of the aforesaid reasons, it’s not an perfect tract for lodging facility.

“We were anxious to enactment with the Australian authorities and the NGOs to place a solution, but astatine the extremity of the day, this is the Australian government’s installation and however they usage it has to beryllium theirs.”