Sydneysiders lied their way into Qld: cops

Gold Coast chief superintendent Mark Wheeler said the group had crossed into the Sunshine State on Sunday with ‘G’ Passes and checked into a Surfers Paradise resort. Subsequent police checks revealed the group had allegedly come from Greater Sydney, which was declared a hotspot last week.

Superintendent Wheeler said the group had told police they were on their way to Airlie Beach.Each person was fined $4003 for making a false declaration and they were all marched into hotel quarantine, at a cost of $2800 per person.“It’s been a very expensive holiday for them,” Superintendent Wheeler said. “If you’re travelling by road to Queensland from a hotspot for a holiday … you have no right to do that.”“Don’t try and (trick) the system … Police will be following up.”
More than 300 vehicles carrying more than 700 people have been turned around since Queensland’s hard border was reintroduced days before Christmas. Ten infringement notices have been dished out in the past seven days.

It comes as police announce a fourth border checkpoint will be set up on Miles Street at Coolangatta to ease massive delays along the border. Wait times of up to three hours have routinely been recorded since the border was imposed, causing headaches for border residents and essential workers. “This new border checkpoint will help ease congestion,” Superintendent Wheeler said. “A lot of vehicles are still turning up with no border passes, or we suspect they’ve been in a hotspot, and that slows things up.”