WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet | Contact
State governments have today publicly demanded the Prime Minister do more to help with the quarantine effort.
After handballing the vast majority of responsibility for quarantine to the states, they have now asked the nation’s leader to let them use Commonwealth facilities that are sitting idle.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has led the charge, today requesting that facilities like Christmas Island and Yongah Hill Immigration Detention Centre be used for their purpose of holding people who have just landed in the country.
“We formally request that the federal government hands the Tamil Family Holding Facilities over to the states so we can get stranded Aussies home,” said the leader of the Republic of Western Australia.
The sentiment is reportedly shared by most other states and territories with Victoria today demanding the Federal Government pay for a brand new quarantine facility outside of Melbourne before the end of the year.
“I know politically it’s a great look for this government to hold a young family in detention in an attempt to prove to apathetic middle class voters that you are strong on ‘stopping the boats,'” said McGowan.
“But politically, you could score points by bringing stranded Australians home”
“So instead of spending millions of dollars breaching our human rights obligations to keep this family locked up, why don’t you talk to the states and work out a way for us to use these quarantine facilities effectively.”
“And take the blame off my government for failing to adhere to reports that our hotel quarantine system had serious flaws which caused the latest outbreak here in Perth.”
“That was Gladys Berejiklian’s fault anyway,” McGowan finished to roars from local reporters.
