The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says the requirement for travellers to take a $150 Covid test will remain in place until the state hits its 90% vaccination target.
Palaszczuk has called for a Medicare rebate for PCR tests for inbound travellers, but the federal government is urging the state to consider rapid antigen testing instead.
The state will scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated domestic travellers from declared hotspots once it reaches an 80% double-vaccination target.
But they will still need to show proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of travel on arrival.
Federal health minister, Greg Hunt, has written to his Queensland counterpart Yvette D’Ath urging her to consider rapid antigen testing or at least jointly funding PCR tests for people travelling domestically.
PCR tests can cost up to $150 at private laboratories and it’s unclear if people will be able to get free tests at state-run clinics for travel purposes.
The New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, said the cost for asymptomatic travellers was onerous and national cabinet needed to come to an agreement to subsidise the test.
“That would be the commonsense approach,” he told Sydney radio 2GB on Tuesday.
“We can’t have domestic travel working that way. People just won’t travel.”
Palaszczuk says the requirement is only temporary, arguing other states like Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory also require negative PCR tests for travellers.
The easiest way to resolve the issue would be for the commonwealth to offer travellers a temporary Medicare rebate for the tests, she added.
“Greg Hunt can quite easily make it a Medicare rebate, he can do that with the stroke of a pen,” Palaszczuk told reporters on Tuesday.
“Let’s get this resolved at national cabinet, but it’s only a temporary measure; let me also stress this.
“Once we get to 90 per cent double dose there is no PCR test requirement.
“Now the PCR test requirement is the same for the majority of other states as well, it is not unique to Queensland, they are highly effective in detecting the virus.”
The latest figures show 84.6% of eligible Queenslanders have had one vaccine dose and 73.4% are fully vaccinated.
Palaszczuk admitted the current test requirement effectively ruled out overnight or short trips interstate for Queenslanders.
“So at the moment going to Sydney for a day or two would be out of the question until we get to that 90% double dose,” she said.
In his letter to D’Ath on Monday night, Hunt said he was concerned Queensland wasn’t considering accepting rapid antigen tests (Rat) for interstate visitors, nor providing free PCR tests for Queensland residents returning home.
He suggested the commonwealth was ready to fund testing within Queensland to ensure there would be no costs imposed on people needing a test, including for interstate travel.
“Given there has been no change to these arrangements, it is unclear to me why Queensland would now be suggesting that a different approach should be taken,” Hunt said.
“It is difficult to see any reason for this other than Queensland seeking to remove its responsibility to ensure the provision of testing, including bearing 50% of costs, as agreed under the partnership.”
Queensland recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday and one in hotel quarantine.
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