'Shouldn't be allowed': Outrage over QLD Premier's trip to Olympics
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been met with fierce backlash after refusing to cancel a trip to the Tokyo Olympics to pitch for Queensland to host the 2032 Games.
Tens of thousands of Australians have signed a petition demanding the Queensland Premier's trip be refused.
HUGE: Telling detail in Nick Kyrgios notes amid Olympics confusion
OLYMPICS 2021: Abandoned Games venues that time forgot
But Ms Palaszczuk said on Tuesday that Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates made it "very clear" it would be a "disaster if the head of Queensland did not go".
"If we're in a situation where we're in a lockdown I won't be able to attend, but the delegation is the federal sports minister, the premier and the lord mayor," she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said the trip to Toyko would be exclusively to make the pitch for Queensland to host the 2032 Games before she returned for 14 days in hotel quarantine.
But as a petition calling for Ms Palaszczuk to be denied the right to leave Australia has attracted more than to 29,000 signatures.
The change.org petition says the Queensland premier has "successfully advocated for a brutal and heartless halving of Australian quarantine spaces".
"Annastacia Palaszczuk should not be allowed to steal a precious hotel quarantine space for a more deserving stranded Australia trying to return home," it says.
Journalist Janet Albrechtsen described Ms Palaszczuk's trip to Tokyo as "hypocritical".
"Queensland needs to be represented at the meeting of the international Olympic committee in Tokyo in July." So, use Zoom then," Albrechtsen tweetded.
"@AnnastaciaMP wins gold medal for hypocrisy."
And she wasn't alone in expressing her displeasure.
"Queensland needs to be represented at the meeting of the international Olympic committee in Tokyo in July." So, use Zoom then. @AnnastaciaMP wins gold medal for hypocrisy. https://t.co/HlWzcEXVpR
— janet albrechtsen (@jkalbrechtsen) July 6, 2021
Many of those praising Ms Berejiklian for no NSW lockdowns & her handling the COVID issues brilliantly are now silent on that & have turned their attention to Ms Palaszczuk going to Tokyo to lobby for the Olympic Games for Brisbane
Gotta find something to whinge about I suppose— Stephen Koukoulas (@TheKouk) July 7, 2021
Qld Premier @AnnastaciaMP has gotten the @pfizer vaccine “just in case” she needs to go to Tokyo on a political junket for the Olympics.
Yet, two parents FULLY vaccinated can’t get into her state to be with their new born baby in hospital.
Shameful. https://t.co/mlf8z5VJIT— Shane McInnes (@shanemcinnes) June 7, 2021
QLD Premier Palaszczuk railed against the "large number of people travelling overseas for business" taking up hotel quarantine spots. I assume her possible Olympic trip to Japan (and how she justified getting a Pfizer vaccine) has now been canned. #QldPol #Auspol
— Naveen Razik (@naveenjrazik) June 30, 2021
Palaszczuk leads the charge for cutting arrivals, thwarting family reunions, while planning her own trip to the Japan Olympics. She is a complete disgrace. #insiders #auspol
— Michael (@choppers91) July 3, 2021
I can’t think of any reason why she needs to be there. What a disgrace
— Philippa (@Bonjour_Pippy) July 1, 2021
Oh and this petition is disgusting but our Anna prancing off to the Olympics after arguing for heavily reduced caps because travel to and from Aus is so dangerous? That hypocrisy is disgusting and so is the lack of consideration for people who NEED to travel for family etc
— you reckon, do you? (@tinytwistoffate) July 6, 2021
Annastacia Palaszczuk defends trip to Tokyo Olympics
National cabinet agreed last week to cut overseas arrivals Australia-wide in response to growing concern over hotels' ability to contain the Delta variant of Covid-19.
Federal Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the Commonwealth will support Brisbane's 2032 Olympic Games bid, including "facilitating exemptions for travel on official Olympic business".
The minister does not play a role in considering exemption requests, which is a decision made by the Australian Border Force commissioner or his delegate.
Ms Palaszczuk said she understood the views put forward in the petition, but called the 2032 Olympics "the biggest opportunity that Queensland's ever seen".
The state will learn if its Olympic bid has been successful in just over two weeks' time.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have the 2032 Olympics here in Queensland, we're never going to get that opportunity again, and I'd hate to see it fall at the final hurdle," Ms Palaszczuk said.
with AAP
Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:
Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.