REVEALED: The leaked text messages between NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk which sparked another border war of words after her cheeky response
- Text message confirms NSW Premier reached out to Annastacia Palaszczuk
- Queensland Premier eventually responded, with reference to Origin footy result
- Ms Palaszczuk then reacted to wave of criticism, stating ‘Gladys has my number’
A leaked text message shows NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian did reach out to her Queensland counterpart to ‘work together’ and open the borders.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk previously claimed Ms Berejiklian ‘never called her’ about borders – but text message receipts prove she did reach out via text on Sunday night at about 8pm.
‘Hi Annastacia, congratulations on your election win,’ the text read, according to news.com.au.
‘I can imagine how difficult that was during a pandemic! Hope we can work together to get our borders open. Gladys.’
According to Ms Berejiklian, the Queensland premier smugly responded three days later about her state’s victory in a State of Origin rugby league game.
She typed: ‘Queenslander, great game.’
The text message (pictured above) NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian sent to her Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday night
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (pictured) told reporters she was ‘bemused’ by the behaviour of her Queensland counterpart this week
She made no mention of the contentious border restrictions issue.
‘I did not hear from her (Ms Palaszczuk) until when she sent me a text about State of Origin,’ Ms Berejiklian said on Thursday.
‘I didn’t know whether to be shocked or bemused, frankly, because I’m worried about jobs and I’m worried about people not seeing their families.
‘And she just rubbed in the fact that Queensland won the game, that’s fine.
‘She didn’t mention borders, she didn’t mention a thanks for the congratulations.’
Responding on Friday, the Queensland leader told a scrum of journalists she is ‘always happy to to speak to Gladys, she has my (phone) number’.
Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured above) hit back at Ms Berejiklian, stating ‘she has my number’ and that she shouldn’t be ‘misleading to the media’
She then accused Ms Berejiklan of being ‘misleading’ after telling the media she ‘had phoned me when she did not phone me.’
2GB radio host Ben Fordham felt Ms Palaszczuk’s text message was ‘rude’, before telling her to ‘grow up.’
‘While people in Sydney can’t see their families in Brisbane that’s the best that Annastacia could come up with — a smart-ass response about a football game,’ he said.
‘She’s a child and she’s looking like a brat.’
When quizzed about the possibility of a back-flip if NSW does open its border to Victorians, a spokeswoman from Queensland Health said a decision will be made depending on the number of cases nationwide.
‘We know this pandemic is not over, these decisions will continue to be made as our health response continues and we continue to see new cases across the nation,’ the spokeswoman told The Courier Mail.