Millions of Australians hoping to travel to Queensland for Christmas may need to rethink their plans, despite Scott Morrison's calls for domestic borders to reopen before the end of the year.
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles hinted travellers from Covid-19 ravaged New South Wales and Victoria could remain locked out in three months time as he unleashed a scathing attack on the Prime Minister.
Mr Morrison has demanded state leaders open borders when vaccination rates hit 80 per cent to allow families to reunite at Christmas.
Mr Miles accused the Prime Minister of giving people false hope and said he should be more focused on the health and wellbeing of NSW and Victoria and on international affairs than 'what might happen in Queensland in a few months' time'.
Queensland holidays could remain off limits for NSW and and Victorian travellers this summer
'This bloke should focus on his job. You know, diplomacy is his job, international trade is his job, vaccination should be his job but we're doing it,' Mr Miles told reporters on Sunday.
'Quarantine should have been his job, but we're doing it. Keeping Covid out of New South Wales was his job and he failed at it.'
He accused the Prime Minister of offering false hope.
'It's not that simple and it's misleading people to tell them that it should be that simple,' Mr Miles added.
'I don't think Queensland does want to just give in this close to the end of the pandemic. I don't think Queenslanders will want to let Covid in for Christmas if we don't have it but NSW still does.
'So they're the considerations that we will need to make, because we are in the very fortunate position of not having the virus here.
'Right now 17 cases, right now, compared to more deaths in NSW in one day than Queensland has had throughout the entire pandemic.'
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud hit back on Monday morning, accusing Annastacia Palaszczuk of 'reneging' on the national plan,
'When you look at the Gold Coast, a billion dollars will be lost in just this quarter,' Mr Littleproud told Today on Monday.
'They are the cheap casualty, according to the Palaszczuk government, of this Covid disaster.
'We need confidence and certainty, but we need leadership.
'We're saying when you're coming into the room (at national cabinet) and say you're going to sign up to the plan, the Prime Minister needs to look to his left and right and know you're there. Instead, Premier Palaszczuk has gone off in all sorts of directions.'
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles slammed Scott Morrison on giving people false hop that the borders will reopen to NSW and Victoria by Christmas (pictured travellers at Brisbane Airport)
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Morrison said he could not see any reason why Australians should be kept cooped up in their states after the milestone set by the national reopening plan.
'There comes a time when you just got to move on and get on with it,' he told Weekend Sunrise on Sunday.
'You've got to honour the arrangement you've made with the Australian people and that is once you get to 80 per cent vaccination, it is very clear that you can start opening up.'
Mr Morrison rebuked Queensland and Western Australian premiers Annastacia Palaszczuk and Mark McGowan for their refusal to open their borders on time.
Steven Miles urged the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged state leaders to open borders when vaccination rates hit 80 per cent
Ms Palaszczuk previously said she would like more research into the effect of Covid-19 on children before lifting border restrictions.
Similarly, Mr McGowan
