Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been criticised for avoiding a question about Queensland’s COVID-19 situation because she thought the journalist was being “rude”.
The Queensland Premier had been accused of irresponsibly putting the vaccine rollout in jeopardy to score political points against the federal government, after telling young people in the state not to get the AstraZeneca jab.
During a press conference on Thursday, Ms Palaszczuk snapped at a Sunrise reporter Bianca Stone for being “rude” after she questioned whether it was a “political stunt”.
“Sorry, I don’t know your name,” Ms Palaszczuk interrupted.
“Bianca Stone,” she replied.
“Hi Bianca.”
As Stone asked her question again, Ms Palaszczuk cut in.
“I won’t answer people being rude,” she said. “You are being very rude. Anyone else with a question?”
Stone later hit back on social media.
“Journalists are given limited opportunity at these government media conferences to ask questions,” she tweeted.
Journalists are given limited opportunity at these government media conferences to ask questions. If @AnnastaciaMP wants pleasantries she should stick around a bit longer so that all of the journalists in the room can ask their questions. And it actually doesn’t matter who I am. https://t.co/YuatKRLWLR
— Bianca Stone (@Bianca_Stone) July 1, 2021
“If @AnnastaciaMP wants pleasantries she should stick around a bit longer so that all of the journalists in the room can ask their questions. And it actually doesn’t matter who I am.”
She wrote in a follow-up tweet, “For those asking (if) my question was legitimate – I was asking about the political stunt @AnnastaciaMP and co tried to pull on day one of a lockdown. (Spouting) incorrect info on AstraZeneca then saying they were going to run out of Pfizer… all to deflect blame over a hospital outbreak.”
Another reporter grilled Ms Palaszczuk on her claim that the UK had refused to offer AstraZeneca to under-40s.
“Yes, there is an article that talks about under-40s to be given an alternative to AstraZeneca,” she replied.
“You weren’t here yesterday either, and I actually read from the article. I am happy to provide you with a copy of the article.”
Dr Young denied a reporter’s suggestion she was “scaremongering”.
“No, I just put out the facts,” she said.
“My advice is very, very clearly that people who are 60 years of age or older should be going to their GP or a Commonwealth vaccine clinic to get AstraZeneca. Anyone under 60, if you’ve already had one dose of the vaccine, you need a second dose of the same vaccine, whether it’s Pfizer or AstraZeneca. If you haven’t had your first dose and you are under the age of 60 and at least 16 years of age, then you should be scheduling yourself as soon as it becomes available to you to get the Pfizer vaccine.”
