Scott Morrison has unleashed an emotional attack on the Queensland Prime Minister, saying the decision to prevent a woman from seeing her father’s funeral was inhumane.
He said Sky News “It’s hard to make any other decision” in an interview overnight.
Canberra woman Sarah Gaizip, 26, was subjected to a national scrutiny on Thursday by Prime Minister Anastasia Pallas after Queensland health officials refused to allow her., Outside hotel isolation to attend his father’s funeral in Brisbane.
Yesterday, Mr Morrison contacted Ms Balassuk to seek an exemption in the case.
Shortly afterwards, the woman, who lives in Canberra, was allowed to see her father in his coffin, but without police custody and no family.
She was briefly allowed to leave her hotel and she was unable to attend the funeral, instead she entered another room with a full PPE to see her father’s body for ten minutes. His family was placed arm in arm.
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After being asked if he considered Ms Balasuk’s decision not to exempt the girl to be inhumane, the Prime Minister said “it is difficult to make any other decision”.
“It was a day when I hoped something else could be done,” Mr Morrison told Sky News host Betta Gretlin.
“There have been some traumatic days during these epidemics, and today there are injuries.
“At least I’m glad she said a last goodbye to her father, Bernard, and I’m glad she was able to do that.
“The other thing is, Betta, we tell our police officers to do some tough things. Can you imagine being one of those police officers with Sarah today? Honestly. ”
Mr Morrison said if prime ministers believed that borders were necessary, they should find a “better way to deal with the heart.”
“We’re going to lose so much as a result of this terrible virus – so that we don’t get sick to the back teeth – I don’t want to lose anything more than we should.
“Today I faint with unused wisdom.”
Mr Morrison said he had raised more than 40 different compassionate exemptions with the Queensland government.
A lawsuit filed by federal officials involving a mother and father who failed to get an application to enter Queensland was settled out of time when their son had to be with them before his life support machine was turned off after a series of strokes.
As the Sky News interview became more personal, Mr Morrison asked if he could say goodbye to one of his two daughters if he died.
“Never. Never, ”he replied. “That’s the point, isn’t it? To protect human life from this virus, are we losing our humanity in all of this race we now have? She asked.
“The way these decisions are made, we are in great danger of it. Of course we are,” Mr Morrison said.
“People, during COVID, I believe they are all trying to do what they can. But when the rules are written that way, that’s a huge loss.
“We’re going to lose a lot as a result of this terrible virus. We’re not all sick to the back teeth of this thing. We don’t want to lose more than we should.
As Ms. Ballack told the Queensland Parliament, she “will not be bullied or threatened by the Prime Minister.”
“I will not be bullied and I will not be intimidated by the Prime Minister of this country who contacted me this morning [it] It is very clear that this is not my decision, ”he said.
“It simply came to our notice then.
“The Prime Minister at that time told me that he did not go public, but Mr. Speaker, I knew he would go public.
“It is disgusting to Mr. Speaker to use the tragedy of this individual family.”
The Prime Minister said he was “not really concerned” about the PM’s comment because the issue was not about both leaders.
When asked by Cretlin that when it comes to Queensland border closures, it is one rule for footballers and celebrities, another rule for ordinary people, Mr Morrison said it was clear there were double standards in the game.
“Well, that’s why people today are so frustrated when they see double standards.
“Queenslanders are reasonable. I know, I hope the majority of Queenslanders will support the border in place. That’s why it’s not about that, you know – you know, the Queenslanders are very reasonable-minded and I think this is what hurts them, the double standards there.
“I do not want this to become a public issue today, mostly because of the case of Sarah and Isabel and Myrna. They are trying to deal with the loss of their husband and father today. All of this was going on around there. I’m sorry that it was.”
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