Prime Minister Scott Morrison has expressed his disappointment in the Queensland government’s decision to prevent Mark Kilian from seeing his dying father in the hospital. You know that if the PM is reprimanding you for not doing the right thing, you’ve definitely fucked up.
Despite going to extreme lengths, Mark and his wife Anneli have been turned down four times in their applications to skip the quarantine process, as they attempt to go from Sydney to Queensland.
The LA couple claim that skipping quarantine is necessary for them to see Mark’s father, as it is believed that he will not live long enough for them to complete two weeks in quarantine as he battles with pancreatic cancer.
On Wednesday morning, Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk answered a question about the fate of the couple, saying that the onus was now on NSW to decide whether or not the couple can come through, which is definitely news to everyone.
“This is a matter for the NSW government,” she said.
“If they want to break the 14-day mandatory quarantine for this couple, and if they can provide [Chief Health Officer) Dr [Jeannette] Young with how they will safely be transferred from Sydney to the Gold Coast, we will do everything we can to facilitate the reunion with his father at the earliest convenience.”
Meanwhile, in a separate conference on Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called bullshit.
“That was already made clear that we did everything we could to facilitate [the exemption],” she told the press during questioning.
The couple wrote a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and on June 22 they received a letter in response.
“Having farewelled my own father early last year, I know how important these times are to families,” Morrison wrote.
“I know what an important time this is for you and that you can never get these days back. I am disappointed the Queensland government has not found a workable and compassionate solution.
“However, the Australian Government does not have authority to step in and provide exemptions from hotel quarantine for travel into Queensland. Under our federation, these decisions are made by the Queensland government.”
Mark Kilian is in quarantine & trying to see his Dad in Qld before he dies.
He’s fully vaccinated & has tested negative for covid.
He has just received this from @ScottMorrisonMP as he tries to get permission to enter QLD from NSW. Ball in @QldGov court #auspol @AnnastaciaMP pic.twitter.com/J4CSMMVn5K
— Tim Arvier (@TimArvier9) June 22, 2021
This isn’t the only case of hotel quarantine preventing people from seeing their loved ones, the other being WA man James Turbitt, who was trapped in Melbourne and was unable to see his dying mother in Perth.
Unfortunately in Turbitt’s case, he received a message that his mother had 12 hours to live while he was stuck in quarantine.
Currently, there are no plans to see Mark Kilian and his wife head over to Queensland and skip quarantine.
