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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been slammed for allowing hundreds of AFL officials into the state for a grand final announcement - while desperate families who need urgent healthcare are blocked at the border. 

The Gabba in Brisbane was expected to be awarded AFL's showpiece event over Perth's Optus Stadium and the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, in a coup for the state government. 

Ms Palaszczuk is expected to make the official announcement today, but what the premier may see as a win for the state has sparked outrage over her Queensland's draconian border restrictions and their impact on average people.

Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman tweeted: 'So if you are AFL royalty you can get into Queensland, with your family, but if you live in northern NSW with your seriously ill child you can't!

'Nothing demonstrates more starkly the politically cynical and elitist reality of Annastacia (Palaszczuk) and Dr Young's restrictions.' 

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Hundreds of AFL officials flew into Queensland from Victoria to announce the location of this year's grand final on Wednesday. Above, Western Bulldogs player Mitch Wallis and his wife Emily and daughter Charlotte are seen arriving at the Gold Coast Airport on July 6 (pictured)

At the same time AFL bigwigs fly into the state, Kimberley Brown (pictured), from Ballina, in northern New South Wales, was unable to obtain a travel exemption for urgent surgery in Queensland - and lost a twin when local health authorities told her to fly to Sydney

The Gabba in Brisbane (pictured) was awarded AFL's showpiece event over Perth's Optus Stadium and the Adelaide Oval on Tuesday night in coup for the state government 

The criticism comes after a couple in Ballina, in northern NSW, expecting twins were told it would take too long to get an exemption to enter Queensland for emergency surgery - with one of the babies later dying.

Kimberley Brown was unable to obtain a travel exemption for urgent surgery in Queensland so instead was forced to fly to Sydney with a 16 hour wait.

Her unborn twins had developed twin transfusion syndrome - a disorder that leads to malnourishment and organ failure in one of the babies. 

Ms Brown lived just two hours from Queensland's Mater Hospital but instead had to wait 16 hours for an emergency flight and travel 750km to Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

An ultrasound later showed Ms Brown had lost one of the babies. NSW Health confirmed it had advised Ms Brown to travel to Sydney, rather than Queensland. 

Queensland Health insists it did notreceive a request to send Ms Brown to Brisbane for emergency surgery. 

Deputy NSW Premier John Barilaro said it's hypocritical for Queensland to close borders over concerns about COVID-19 in NSW, and yet let in hundreds of AFL officials, players and their families from the virus hotspot of Victoria.   

Just two new cases were recorded in Queensland in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday, with the number of active cases in an existing cluster remaining at 28.

 NSW reported 17 new cases on Wednesday and Victoria 90.

'400 AFL officials from coronavirus central will go across the border into Queensland yet a young family can't get emergency healthcare across the border,' Mr Barilaro told the Today show on Wednesday morning.

'I think Annastacia Palaszczuk continues to show politics trumps good policy and I think she is undoing all her good work.'  

Mr Barilaro said the border closure is hurting NSW residents who need healthcare in Queensland. 

Former Queensland premier Campbell Newman tweeted: 'So if you are AFL royalty you can get into Queensland, with your family, but if you live in northern NSW with your seriously ill child you can't'

Passengers are seen after arriving on a charter-flight containing partners, wives and family members of AFL players at the Gold Coast Airport in July

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured) has come under pressure to end her state's draconian border restrictions

Just two new cases were recorded in Queensland in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday with the number of active cases in an existing cluster remaining at 2

'How can you justify officials from Melbourne for an AFL Grand Final announcement out of the one area that we know that coronavirus has community spread like we have never seen before,' Mr Barilaro said.

'Yet that young couple we spoke about last week, other examples of that happen each and every day.'

'So I don't get it. I don't understand why the premier of Queensland can't see it. Show some heart.'

'Show some ability to understand the impact this is having and understand that that Queensland border is a seamless border.'

Mr Barilaro said it was becoming a 'bit of a joke' for the communities living on the border.

'This is not about just Queensland verse NSW. It is not State of Origin, it is about people,' he said. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has also hit out at Queensland's leader for her ongoing restrictions, saying she needs to show 'a bit of compassion'. 

Ms Berejiklian admitted to Ben Fordham Live on 2GB on Wednesday morning that her relationship with Ms Palaszczuk was not positive.

'I've tried to establish a positive relationship, but it's a bit difficult when decisions are made without even telling us,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'Can I compare that to Dan Andrews and the Prime Minister? The three of us worked together on a very difficult decision about the Victorian and NSW border, and I would like to see that applied to all borders.

'I think that at this stage of the pandemic all of us should be thinking about how we can make life easier for our citizens, what we can do rather than what we can't do and that is certainly the head space we are in NSW.'

Deputy NSW Premier John Barilaro said it's hypocritical for Queensland to close borders over concerns about COVID-19 in NSW and yet let in hundreds of AFL officials from the declared virus hotspot of Victoria

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has also hit out at Queensland's leader for her ongoing restrictions, saying she needs to show 'a bit of compassion'

Richmond player Trent Cotchin is seen carrying his daughter when he arrived at Gold Coast Airport in July

Queensland Senator Matt Canavan has also slammed the premier, saying Ms Palaszczuk is playing a 'political state of origin'.

'We have a pandemic and why is the Queensland Premier putting so much effort into a football game when she hasn't been able to give adequate health services to people?' Mr Canavan told the Today Show.

'We have had the tragic circumstance in the last week where someone may have lost a child because of the inefficiencies in the border controls, and Annastacia Palaszczuk is out there playing some kind of political State of Origin with this crisis rather than focusing on the real issue.

'Fix the community transmission in Brisbane, fix our borders.'

The premier has brushed aside the criticism about her decision to host the AFL grand final.  

Ms Palaszczuk said that NSW residents requiring specialist treatment would have a streamlined process to apply for medical exemptions by the end of this week. Under the rules NSW emergency patients are also allowed to enter Queensland.

She has no concerns about people visiting from interstate for the AFL grand final as the league has a long-standing COVID safe plan in place.

A Virgin Australia hostess greets Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin's young daughters as they board their flight headed for Queensland's Sunshine Coast from Melbourne in July (pictured)

All ten Victoria-based clubs escaped the state in July before the border with NSW shut (Dustin Martin of the Tigers and Mabior Chol of the Tigers board a charter flight on July 6)

Mr Barilaro said it was becoming a 'bit of a joke' for the communities living on the border. Pictured: Motorists approaching a checkpoint at the Queensland/NSW border

'That plan is not dissimilar to what has happened in other states,' the premier said.

Ms Palaszczuk rejected a question about whether she was proposing to 'pack the Gabba' while there was a 'significant spread' of the virus in southeast Queensland.

'But there isn't (a significant spread), there isn't. It's contained,' she said.

'No there is not, that's not correct. That's not correct - I reject the premise of your question.'

The two new cases recorded on Wednesday have taken the number of active cases in an existing cluster remaining at 28.

The current outbreak in the state's southeast is centred on the Corrective Services Academy at Wacol, southwest of Brisbane.

The health minister said 18,000 tests had been conducted in 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday, more than double the 7480 in the previous 24 hours.

The Queensland government will review the border closure at the end of this month.

Richmond player Trent Cotchin is seen with his family after arriving at the Gold Coast Airport in July (pictured) with his family to see out the AFL season

A medical worker takes a sample at a drive-through COVID-19 testing facility in Brisbane on August 25

North Melbourne player Shaun Higgins (pictured) gives his daughter Rosie a piggyback after touching down on the Gold Coast on July 6

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said that since March, nearly 660,000 vehicles had been checked at the state borders and 290,000 incoming plane passengers had been screened.

He said police had handed out 2275 infringements since the pandemic began, 83 related to border crossings with 24 notices of arrest to appear.

Just two new cases were recorded in Queensland in the 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday with the number of active cases in an existing cluster remaining at 28.

The current outbreak in the state's southeast is centred on the Corrective Services Academy at Wacol, southwest of Brisbane.

The premier said 18,000 had been conducted in 24 hours to 9am on Wednesday, more than double the 7480 in the previous 24 hours.

She also said stage four lockdowns will maintained in state prisons after a riot at the Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, southwest of Brisbane, on Tuesday night.

'These measures are no different to the quarantine measures that have had to be put in place to keep everyone safe,' Ms Palaszczuk said.