Mrs GERBER (Currumbin—LNP) (2.25 pm): Today I rise in this chamber to talk about something that I have raised before, something that should have been fixed already. Yes, I am talking about the Palaszczuk Labor government’s border blockade and the havoc that the border checkpoints continue to wreak on my border community. I have consistently asked for the Palaszczuk Labor government to fix the border checkpoints. We all understand the importance of these checkpoints in keeping Queenslanders safe. I am calling for the implementation to stop disadvantaging my border community. I call on the Palaszczuk Labor government to implement a dedicated locals-only border pass and to implement dedicated lanes for locals. I call on the Premier, please, to open the hard closures such as Tomewin Mountain Road so that my locals can get to their schools, hospitals and trade.
Today I had a heartbreaking conversation with a mum. She was in tears by the time she got to the border checkpoint. She was in tears because she had just spent four hours sitting in traffic just to try to get her young children home from school, her young children that were crying in the car for four hours.
Ms Richards: Oh, stop it.
Mrs GERBER: Do not tell me to stop it; this is a mum. This is important. This chamber needs to hear this. This is a border community. I have constituents who send their children to school across the border. Their local roads are still closed. I have tradies who need to cross the border for trade. They cannot do that. I have frontline workers who need to get to hospitals. The traffic queues are reaching the point of insanity and preventing my community members from going about their daily lives. Just yesterday, we heard the Premier say that she would make no apologies for delays at the border. I would like her to apologise to that mum who was stuck in traffic for four hours listening to her babies scream.
Mr Power interjected.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Stewart): Order! Member for Logan.
Mrs GERBER: No-one is asking this Labor government to put Queenslanders at risk. We all understand the importance of monitoring the borders. All I ask is that this Labor government does its job and implements a solution that means border residents are not slogged with unsustainable traffic. Implement a locals-only border pass, implement dedicated lanes for locals, and please open Tomewin Mountain Road so my mums can get to their school.