Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson says taxpayer money spent on the Wellcamp hotel Quarantine facility would have been better used to update Redland Hospital to support a health system in crisis.
Capalaba MP Don Brown has blamed the LNP for the white elephant facility built to limit the spread of COVID by locking down international and state visitors to Queensland.
Wellcamp has stopped accepting guests this week since the state government declared there was no longer a use for the $200 million facility near Toowoomba, despite holding a lease until April 2023.
The government has also spent almost $40 million on Wellcamp since it opened, with most of the funds used to close it down.
Chief Government Whip Mr Brown said the previous federal Liberal and Nationals government failed the state of Queensland by not funding a hotel quarantine facility.
"The Queensland Government should have never been required to build Wellcamp," Mr Brown said.
"The Federal LNP Government failed to build their own facility and take responsibility for quarantine, which is clear under the constitution.
"Time and time again the State Government needed to step in to take responsibility for the Federal Governments failures during COVID."
Mr Robinson said the Queensland government could have spent the money to support a flooded health system during the pandemic.
"The Palaszczuk Labor Government's decision to meddle in Federal quarantining and to build Wellcamp instead of hospital beds in SEQ has been an unmitigated disaster, wasting over $220 million at a time of health crisis," he said.
"The Government finally admitted that their secret deal - aka "Wastecamp" - blew away over $220 million of taxpayer funds, at a time when Queenslanders desperately needed those funds invested in our hospitals."
He said the Redland Hospital would have significantly benefited from funding spent on the Wellcamp facility.
"$220 million would have entirely upgraded Redland Hospital and funded all of the nurses, doctors and specialists that our growing and ageing region needs now and into the future," Mr Robinson said.
Mr Brown said the LNP did not have a leg to stand on and stood by the government's decision to prepare for the pandemic.
"It is easy for the LNP to look back in hindsight and throw mud, but I am proud to be part of Government that was willing to be prepare for whatever COVID threw at us."
Emily Lowe
Redland City Bulletin journalist covering community, politics, crime and human interest stories. Griffith University Alumni.
Redland City Bulletin journalist covering community, politics, crime and human interest stories. Griffith University Alumni.
