A political petition peddled by the local Labor opposition MP to cut the Tweed in half with a hard border on the Tweed River would not make us safer, but would divide us at a time we most need unity, according to Tweed Nationals MP Geoff Provest

“Separating the Tweed Coast and Murwillumbah from the north of the Tweed is not the answer. It would just move a problem created by the Queensland Government fully into the Tweed, which might suit Labor, but would be a terrible outcome for locals,” Mr Provest said.

“For example if QLD were to go into a hard lockdown that would put all residents south of the Tweed River in jeopardy and unable to access their own police station and hospital”.

“Far from being ‘on your side’ as she claims, Richmond Labor MP Justine Elliot appears to be working for the people of Queensland Labor Party, not the people of the Tweed.”

Mr Provest said the Federal MP was suddenly shifting her position and now saying the border should run through Ballina, which is conveniently her electorate boundary, but no one else had put that proposition on the table.

“Instead of playing politics with the pandemic, Ms Elliot should use her connections with Queensland Labor Government to fix some devastating problems their border restrictions,” Mr Provest said.

“For example Tweed veterans who have put their lives on the line for this country are being denied surgery on the Gold Coast because Queensland is only letting patients in taxis across the border for dialysis or cancer treatment, even if they have been vaccinated,” Mr Provest said.

“And new requirements that even essential workers will need to be double vaccinated to cross the border cause far more problems than they solve.”

“Being originally a Queenslander and a member of the Labor Party, Ms Elliot is in a unique position to educate that State Government about border issues it clearly doesn’t understand and that is where her focus could best serve the people of the Tweed,” Mr Provest concluded.