CAPALABA LNP candidate Bev Walters has called on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to explain why 30,000 people were allowed to gather for a rally in the Brisbane CBD on Saturday despite strict coronavirus restrictions.
It comes as Capalaba MP Don Brown urges the public to follow health directives, saying now is not the time for protests regardless of the cause.
Ms Walters questioned why the rally, held in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, had gone ahead against the chief health officer's advice.
- Also read: Bowman MP Andrew Laming apologises for posting meme depicting Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as sitcom character Sergeant Schultz
- Also read: Queensland Parliament's Speaker warns Capalaba MP Don Brown to check his facts after pecuniary interest allegation
- Also read: Labor MP Don Brown and LNP MP Andrew Laming in stand-off over Redland Hospital funding
She said the gathering had put people at unnecessary risk, particularly the Indigenous population who the state government had identified as being vulnerable to COVID-19.
"It was an entirely reasonable expectation that there would be a large number of Indigenous Australians at a Black Lives Matter protest," she said.
"With no enforcement of the chief medical officer's social distancing laws, the premier has imprudently allowed the health of a large number of First Nation people to be placed at risk unnecessarily."
When asked about whether the state government would act to stamp out mass gatherings while restrictions remained in place, Mr Brown said the protest would be looked at.
He said it was important a measured outcome was reached.
"I have seen a problem with not only the protest on the weekend but the one the weekend before that for anti-vaccination and anti-5G," he said.
"They were against the health directives and we've got those in there through the advice of our chief medical officers and our chief doctors in the national cabinet and we have to listen to them at this stage.
" ... Obviously it (the protest) has made our chief health officers across the country very nervous and we will have to see what the outcome is."
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington questioned why an alternative had not been found to the 30,000-strong protest in Brisbane, citing the driveway dawn services held on Anzac Day as an example of how a safe solution could be reached.
But Mr Brown said PM Scott Morrison had sent mixed messages by stating that Australia was a free country in response to protests in May.
"He said that the anti-vaccination and anti-5G (protests) were fine but the Black Lives Matter wasn't," Mr Brown said.
"He needs to send a consistent message and that is what I am trying to send to my community.
"Obviously different people are going to feel different things towards this but the message needs to be consistent."
Read more local news here.
