Looks like the border closures are creating some issues, how long will Queen P hold her ground!
Coronavirus: Bereaved daughter Sarah Caisip allowed to view dad’s body but not to attend funeral
Sarah Caisip (left) with her father Bernard Prendergast and younger sister Isobel Prendergast, 11
Bereaved young Canberra woman Sarah Caisip, in quarantine in Queensland, has been granted a last minute exemption to view her father’s body after an outcry over the state government’s treatment of her.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young granted the exemption early Thursday afternoon. However the 26-year-old will not be able to attend the funeral in Brisbane on Thursday afternoon, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison ringing Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk about the case this morning.
Ms Caisip is stuck in hotel quarantine after fighting to enter Queensland, from COVID-free-Canberra, to see her father before he lost his battle with cancer.
Unable to say goodbye to her dad, Ms Caisip was devastated to be refused permission to attend his funeral,
The Australian understands Ms Caisip will now be allowed to attend a private viewing after the funeral. It is not clear whether she will be able to see her grieving mother and 11-year-old sister.
In a letter tabled in parliament by the LNP Opposition, Ms Caisip pleaded to be allowed out of quarantine. She said her father died on September 2, but she had been denied an exemption to attend his funeral.
“Dear Premier, my dad is dead and you made me fight to see him, but it was too late, and now you won’t let me go to his funeral, or see my devastated 11 year old sister,” Ms Caisip’s letter reads.
“The fact that I’m being denied my basic human rights to care for my grief-stricken mother and little 11-year-old sister enrages, disgusts and devastates me at the same time.”
Mr Morrison earlier on Thursday made an impassioned plea to Ms Palaszczuk to allow Ms Caisip to attend the funeral.
The Prime Minister, who struggled to talk at times when reflecting on his own father’s death earlier this year, said he had spoken with Ms Palaszczuk this morning to appeal for an exemption for Sarah.
“I appealed to overrule the decision that would allow Sarah to go to the funeral today and to be honest, it’s not about borders. It’s not about Federation, it’s not about politicians, it’s not about elections,” he told 2GB.
“The only thing that matters today is that Sarah can be with her 11-year-old sister, Isabel, and her mother Myrna to mourn the passing of their father and husband.”.
Mr Morrison said it was heartbreaking Ms Caisip had missed the opportunity to say farewell to her dad because she was in quarantine.
“All of us who have been through that process know how important a day like today is,” Mr Morrison said, his voice breaking. “It’s still fresh in my mind.”
“This isn’t about the Premier of Queensland and me or anyone else – it’s just about that. Surely, in the midst of all of this, in COVID, and everything that everyone’s going through. Surely just this once. This can be done. It can be done,” he said. “There’s been no COVID cases in the ACT for more than 60 days.”
“I just hope they don’t change their mind.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt called on the Premier to “show compassion” and change her mind to allow Ms Caisip to attend her father’s funeral.
Mr Hunt said the Commonwealth had worked quietly behind-the-scenes on many cases, which had resulted in a positive outcome for those involved.
“I know that the Prime Minister and myself and so many others are urging the Queensland Government to show compassion,” he said.
“This is a very difficult situation and somebody facing the loss, the agony that Sarah has faced, as we all do at different times in our journeys, I think is deserving of compassion and we have quietly worked behind-the-scenes on many cases with many states and had very strong compassionate outcomes and I would gently, but clearly, urge the Queensland Government to show compassion in this case.”
Asked specifically about the Queensland government’s decision to allow Ms Caisip to have a private viewing of her father’s body, but not attend today’s funeral, Mr Hunt said there needed to be a transparent system where people could appeal decisions.
“We would like to see a very transparent system,” he said. “So there is a capacity to appeal for exemptions or compassionate or other grounds... and there is a transparent process to make that appeal.”
Mr Hunt said he thought the most sensible and compassionate thing to do with regard to Ms Caisip’s case is if she were able to attend the full funeral in a “COVID-Safe way”.
“I think that would be the most humane, compassionate thing to do.”
Earlier, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton attacked Ms Palaszczuk, saying people were suffering because of her “pig headed” border policies.
“This young lady, tragically, will be scarred for life. She’s missed her father’s dying moments, she’s going to miss the funeral and these are obviously moments you can’t get back,” he told 2GB.
“This is Australia in the 21st century. There can be border restrictions put in place if there are good health reasons for it but there’s no health reason, there’s no argument from the doctors here in Queensland for the borders to be shut.
“It’s all for political reasons and unfortunately a lot of people are suffering and feel the consequences of this action.”
Mr Dutton urged the bureaucrats involved in the case to use discretion, saying it was unnecessary to prohibit someone from Canberra – where there have been no new coronavirus cases for more than 60 days – from entering Queensland.
“It’s really upsetting and heartbreaking,” he said.
“I just can’t understand why the government would put someone through that extra grief.”
On Thursday morning Ms Palaszczuk defended the decision.
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington asked Ms Palaszczuk to order a review into “Sarah’s case,” but Ms Palaszczuk said it was “disgusting” that the LNP would raise a personal case in parliament, even though the LNP said it had been asked to by Ms Caisip.
“Everything we do in this house is about saving people’s lives from a pandemic no one asked for,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She said the bullying and intimidation she had faced over the border closures were the worst she’d seen, to which Opposition MPs interjected: “the Premier is not the victim”.
Ms Palaszczuk said Ms Caisip’s case was “absolutely tragic” but she did not make decisions about exemptions, the Ms Young did.
Opposition health spokesman Chris Bowen refused to say Ms Palaszczuk was wrong to deny MS Caisip access to her father’s funeral, but encouraged “everybody to take as compassionate approach as possible” based on health advice.
“In every case exemptions that are put in place for various reasons, they will be and should be worked through as cooperatively and carefully and compassionately as possible,” Mr Bowen said.
“We have to say we’re all in it together, we have to mean it. While the border restrictions are very important, and we continue to support all premiers regardless of partisanship in those decisions they’ve taken based on health advice, of course there will need to be exemptions made and exemptions are made.”
Queensland Political Reporter