Finance Minister Katy Gallagher tried to make a call in March,telling this masthead the quarantine hub would be kept for its current landholder,the Department of Defence,and also for use as emergency accommodation during a future disaster.
“The centre is too far from the additional necessary support services for[family violence or homelessness] accommodation and therefore not considered suitable,” Gallagher’s office said at the time.
Community service groupsechoed these concerns and added their own,including the facility’s design,space and costs. It seemed like the end of Schrinner’s campaign.
But within weeks,the federal government softened its position,beginning with Treasurer and south-east Queensland MP Jim Chalmers,who told reporters:“When it comes to Pinkenba,we are always prepared to work with state and territory governments to find common ground and work together to achieve our objectives.”
Gallagher fell into line and pretended there had been no backflip at all.
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“As we have consistently said,we will consider any formal detailed proposal from the Queensland government for the future use of the Pinkenba centre,” she said in June.
Reeling with bad press about Brisbane’s homelessness issues,the state government accordinglypledged $10 million to the Pinkenba cause.But this is where the trail ends. The detail of any proposal remains unclear.
Brisbane Times also understands Gallagher’s people have been miserly in their communication with their state Labor counterparts. Her office did not respond to our queries on Wednesday. Last time we asked for an update,it took a month.
Such is the farce,Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon is also yet to respond to a July letter from Schrinner seeking the latest thinking.
Both the Commonwealth and Queensland government would probably be happy if everyone just forgot about it. The Palaszczuk government would be unwilling to take on contaminated land or whatever complicated delivery model such a unique service would require.
For its part,the federal government seemed unlikely to take land off the Defence Force while also going against its original – and honest – position about the site being unsuitable.
Inside one of the units at the Pinkenba centre,which is apparently good enough for people fleeing natural disasters,but not those fleeing domestic violence.
For now,it remains on standby to house Queenslanders fleeing some yet-unknown natural disaster.
Given the changing climate and this month’s fires and floods already tormenting much of Australia’s south-east,perhaps this isn’t such a bad thing.