Leaked audio reveals why state premier WON’T allow children to go back to school despite Australia smashing the coronavirus curve
- Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was reluctant to send students back to school
- The Queensland premier was heard expressing her concerns in leaked audio
- Ms Palaszczuk told Labor members she could be blamed if students got sick
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged states to reopen schools earlier this week
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
By Karen Ruiz For Daily Mail Australia
Published: 00:45 BST, 1 May 2020 | Updated: 01:44 BST, 1 May 2020
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she is reluctant to send children back to school over fears she would be blamed if students were to get sick.
In a leaked audio recording obtained by the Courier-Mail, the state premier was heard telling members of her government she ‘can’t just turn the switch on’ despite Scott Morrison’s advice.
‘I just have to stress to everyone, we cannot rush this, we have to take our time because if there is an outbreak in a school, I’ll tell you one thing, they’re not going to be blaming Scott Morrison,’ she said on Wednesday.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk admitted she was hesitant to send children back to school despite Scott Morrison’s advice
Queensland, along with other states, switched to remote learning last month in a bid to protect students and teachers from coronavirus
‘They’ll be blaming the State Government, they’ll be blaming myself and (Education) Minister Grace Grace’.
Ms Palaszczuk’s comments were in response to a question during a town hall-style telephone meeting where she was asked why the prime minister was behind the decision to reopen schools, instead of health authorities or school principals.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the state premier’s office for comment.
Return to schools state-by-state
Victoria and Tasmania: Parents continue to be encouraged to keep their children at home if possible.
New South Wales: Students will have a slow return to classrooms from May 11
Western Australia: WA has made a ‘soft start’ to schooling with year 11 and 12 students strongly encouraged to attend in person.
South Australia: The school term resumed as normal on Tuesday but the premier estimated just under two-thirds of students attended.
Queensland schools switched to remote learning late last month as part of a number of coronavirus safety measures taken by the state. Ms Palaszczuk planned to revisit the issue by May 15 to re-assess when on-site classes will resume.
While most states and territories have followed suit in switching to homeschooling during the pandemic, Scott Morrison has long maintained schools were a safe place for students and said they would remain open.
Earlier this week, Mr Morrison urged states to reopen schools on advice from Australia’s top health adviser following the country’s success in flattening the COVID-19 infection curve.
The decision of when to send children back to the classroom has since become a topic of contention across the states, as some fear it could be too soon to do so.
In the audio recording, Ms Palaszczuk said state officials were working to create a detailed ‘COVID safe plan’ for teachers that would include social distancing measures at schools before they reopen.
‘And of course our children, so we need to make sure we’ve got all these plans in place and what I see is a gradual return to normality,’ she added.
‘We can’t just turn the switch on and have everyone back without having a COVID safe environment.’
On Thursday, Queensland again had no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 as the state eagerly awaits the easing of lockdown restrictions this weekend.
Thursday is the fourth day of zero cases recorded in the Sunshine State as the number of active cases drops to 84.
Eleven people remain in hospital with six being treated in intensive care.
Queensland’s tally remains at 1033 confirmed cases from more than 108,000 tests.
Six Queenslanders have died from coronavirus and 943 patients have recovered.
The announcement is welcome news ahead of plans to lift some restrictions this weekend, allowing people to travel further and go shopping for clothes and shoes as long as they practise social distancing.
Ms Palaszczuk said state officials were working to create a detailed ‘COVID safe plan’ for teachers before reopening schools. Pictured: Students being homeschooled in Brisbane