Dan Andrews has compromised our most important line of defence.
Victorians are pissed right now.
Of course we are. We’re going into another six weeks of lock down.
Six weeks!
I’m not going to be able to get coffee at my favourite dive for six weeks. I’m very grumpy about that.
And I’ve got it easier than anyone. What about the café owner? She was gearing up for a steady reopening. Now she’s throwing everything into reverse, and she’s really wondering if she’s got the guts to last it out… or the pockets.
And it’s a massive blow to the Victorian economy. Gareth Aird at Comm Bank reckons the lockdown is going to cost $1-2 billion…
… every week!
There’s a lot of businesses that were really banking on things getting back to normal. But that’s not going to happen, and I can tell you, a lot of them are wondering whether or not they’re just better off cutting their losses and walking away.
So it’s a huge blow. And after making so many sacrifices for so long (remember what I was saying about my coffee?) it’s a bitter blow.
But then what do we get?
A premier whose point fingers at the people – people who ‘didn’t do the right thing’. Victorians who had become ‘complacent’.
But then you look into it, and it seems that our latest outbreak – and here’s the chart in all its hideous glory:
It seems that when you look into it, it all comes down to our failed quarantine program.
Specifically, travellers returning to Australia had to do two weeks quarantine in a hotel. In other states, that quarantine was enforced by the police or the Australian defence force.
Not in Victoria though. We out-sourced it to an under-trained and under-resourced private security company.
But that strategy created a bunch of problems. Namely:
- Security companies were being paid for workers who didn’t actually exist, or for shifts they didn’t actually do.
- Under-staffed quarantine enforcement because we were effectively paying for ghosts.
- The guards that did show up didn’t follow proper procedures – they shook hands, shared lighters, didn’t wear masks etc.
- Some guards were sleeping on the job.
- Some guards were sleeping with guests (rumour has it).
- Guards switched shifts between hotels.
- Some guards were moonlighting as Uber-drivers.
What a joke.
As an island nation with almost no community transmission, the hotel quarantine was our most important line of defence.
And it was compromised.
And now we’re paying the price.
But what’s worse, rather than just fess up and say that they messed up and that they shouldn’t have trusted the nations bio-security to a bunch of Uber drivers, Dan Andrews is trying to duck the issue altogether, palming it off to an Inquiry that’s due to report at the end of bloody September!
C’mon. Grow some balls would ya?
It’s an epic cock up, but just own it. If you said, “Look, we knew Corona was going to cost us a heap of money, so I just thought I could save a few bucks by getting some traffic controllers in to do the job,” I’d maybe be like, well, yeah, fair enough.
That’s a bit stupid, but I can see what you were trying to do there. You probably had a lot on your plate at the time.
But when you just try to sweep it all under the carpet with an Inquiry that’s going to take two months to tell us what we already know – that you f$%ked up – it’s pretty poor form.
And when you start pointing the finger at Victorians who have been doing a pretty bloody good job of towing the line if you ask me, then it just gets a bit disgusting.
Because the consequences here are massive.
The only thing between us and a full-blown health crisis is the public’s willingness to make sacrifices and do the right thing.
That requires a lot of good will. It requires a sense of fairness.
But when people are going into lockdown – and when businesses are shuttering – because the government muffed it and won’t own it, then that good will starts evaporating.
And that puts the state, and the nation, at incredible risk.
I think you’ve blown it Dan.
The community needs to be honoured for the sacrifices it’s made. It needs to feel that things are fair.
I think you gotta step down.
Dan Andrews has to resign.
JG.
Helena says
Things are not fair, not clear, and inconsistent. More harm and damage has been caused by the lockdown than by the Virus that has purportedly killed 104 people in Australia? REALLY only 104 dead. All we hear are cases of infection, not deaths. Why is that? Is it because hardly anyone is dying while thousands of Small business’s are about to go under, and Australia’s economy is heading towards a third world country? Any thinking person has to see that things do not add up.
Why has Japan not locked down ? A country that has the whole of Australia’s population of 25 million in Tokyo alone. Japan knows that the destruction of its economy will do way more harm to its people then the virus ever will. They have not had any more deaths either and no destruction of small business or a increase in Suicide or people dying from illness from neglect.
There are way too many unanswered discrepancies and l will not be locking down my business while Bunnings, K.Mart and Shopping Centres are allowed to stay open.. The Government has to give me a good reason why l have to close when they do not. l will not be wearing a mask when only 2 years ago Nurses were being told that wearing masks do NOT help stop the spread of disease. l will not be paying any fines that l get given and will be taking it to court.
This Virus is a Flu or maybe not even as bad as the Flu, a cold and it has to run its course. Lockdown will not do anything but delay that course from happening. Why does my business and family have to suffer this stupidity? Why are people falling for the terror and fear that is being created?
l do not trust any Politician that serves a Foreign power, which they all do. Anyone that believes anything they say, together with the lying Media deserve to suffer the consequences. l am not lying down and complying to their bullshit. its not just Dictator Dan, they all should be made bankrupt and their position of Power removed. We need someone that will Quarantine the sick not the Healthy, let people get on with their lives and build up Australia and its economy. That is what is needed not the opposite.
In the next few days N.S.W will be locked down and then the rest of the states will follow. How do we know that there will not be a third or fourth lockdown? What will that do to Australia and its people?
There is NO stated Plan, only reactions with decisions being made slap dash, day by day. When will this end?
l am not falling for “Stay home stay safe” and will not be made to feel guilty, fearful or be intimidated. If Australians do not start using their brains and see that something very dodgy is going on, and say NO, show me the evidence as to why we have to do as the GOVERNMENT DICTATES, it may be too late in a year or two to repair the damage that is being created day by day. Even if this life threatening Virus that has killed 104 people, heaven help us, stopped today., the normal we knew will never return. Where are we being taken? Will you willingly obey? When will you say enough is enough? What will it take? What about your Children Future? Have they a future? Have you the courage to make a stand? What is life, if you can’t live it the way you want? Have you thought about any of this?
l refuse to do what the Government Dictates. l am living my life as before the few deaths from the virus occurred. l am running my business, looking after my family, friends and community from Love not in fear, knowing the type of beautiful world l am helping to create and want and that’s my mission. If it offends you, so be it.
Lynne Gweeny says
“Grow some balls”….. really.
Must you talk about your genitalia?
Give it a rest.