Border restrictions: Mark Keans told to choose which child to visit him in hospital with cancer - NEWS.com.au

A Sydney father with terminal cancer has been asked to choose which of his children to see as only one of four will be able to cross the border to Queensland to visit their dying dad.

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been asked to intervene in the tragic case which has sparked outrage over coronavirus border closures in Queensland that have been the subject of pain for many families.

Brisbane truck driver Mark Keans, 39, has been told he has inoperable cancer and is unlikely to survive past Christmas.

He has four children all aged under 13 who are in Sydney and have been told they will not be able to cross the border by Queensland Health authorities, Seven Newsreports.

The children’s grandfather, Bruce Langborne, said the children “desperately want to see him.”

“They told us we were being selfish – and we weren’t taking into consideration the other cancer patients,” Mr Langborne told Seven.

“I have no idea how you pick and choose which child goes,” Mr Langborne said.

“We’re bashing our heads against brick walls.”

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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk recently said she was unable to visit her dying uncle.

“My uncle was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and I couldn’t go and visit him in the hospital,” she said.

The issue was raised by Opposition leader Deb Frecklington in Queensland parliament, who said the family “may have had more luck if they were in the AFL or crew on a superyacht.”

However the Premier was having none of it, saying: “If Queenslanders had listened to the LNP when they asked for the borders to be opened 64 times, we may have been in the situation of Victoria.”

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard also said he felt “supreme anger, at the Queensland Premier’s decision, which in my view is nothing more base loopy politics. I’m appalled.”

It comes as Newcastle man revealed he doesn’t know when he will be able to see his newborn daughter due to harsh restrictions.

Fly-in-fly-out worker Chris Bennett, who is based in Wangi Wangi, welcomed his first child, Adalyn, with his partner Laura Goff seven weeks ago.

After spending six weeks at home, Mr Bennett, 27, had to go back to work in the mines at Moranbah in North Queensland and has spent the last two weeks in quarantine in a Brisbane hotel, where the mandatory cost is $2800.

“Every day I get up and I listen to the TV to see if they’ve given a date yet (to reopen the border) or allowed any extra exemptions,” Ms Goff, 29, told the Newcastle Herald.

“They’ve just let a whole football code go over the border and stay in a hotel, with their wives having cocktails with each other not social distancing at the swim-up bar, and Chris is in quarantine and I’m trying to take photos and videos of our baby smiling for the first time so he is not missing out.

“I feel like there is an easier way than making an Australian pay $2800 for quarantine (to cross a state border).”

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2020-09-09 15:36:07Z
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