Coronavirus

[Baloo]

Funny how many who were demanding easing the restrictions and being allowed to return to some sort of normality are slamming Andrews for doing what they were calling for.

Bolt, Newman and their types were *smile* wrong to mount so much pressure on the Vic government to loosen restrictions because we had handled it well. He was being called all sorts of *smile* for keeping the place locked down. As it was known then, and further evidenced now, they were wrong, dangerously wrong.

Andrews, despite a good start, *smile* up twice. Once loosening then not ensuring the measures in place to limit spread weren't adequate. But the first issue was due to a lot of pressure from the same people who are now trying to lynch him.

 

[tigertim]

Bloody hell, I’ve read it all now. So it was pressure from Bolt and Newman! Doesn’t say much for old Danny boy that he succumbed to this “pressure”.....

 

[Baloo]

Bloody hell, I’ve read it all now. So it was pressure from Bolt and Newman! Doesn’t say much for old Danny boy that he succumbed to this “pressure”.....

Murdoch media led campaign, federal pressure. If you don't think there was a campaign against Victoria's lockdown then you need to take your MAGA cap off

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Bolt, Newman and their types were *smile* wrong to mount so much pressure on the Vic government to loosen restrictions because we had handled it well.

Andrews does what he feels and bows to no-one. If he listened, he'd remove the safety barriers on West Gate and jump.

Murdoch media led campaign, federal pressure. If you don't think there was a campaign against Victoria's lockdown then you need to take your MAGA cap off

Bolt and Newman have no clout. None. It's like blaming Annalise Whatshername for worldwide statue demolition.

 

[tigertim]

Murdoch media led campaign, federal pressure. If you don't think there was a campaign against Victoria's lockdown then you need to take your MAGA cap off

Yep, it’s the meejas fault......

 

[AngryAnt]

Andrews does what he feels and bows to no-one. If he listened, he'd remove the safety barriers on West Gate and jump.

That's a low comment.

Andrews has made mistakes but I read he's been working 18 hour days 7 days per week. I don't doubt his desire to do the right thing.

 

[Tigers of Old]

Funny how many who were demanding easing the restrictions and being allowed to return to some sort of normality are slamming Andrews for doing what they were calling for.

Bolt, Newman and their types were *smile* wrong to mount so much pressure on the Vic government to loosen restrictions because we had handled it well. He was being called all sorts of *smile* for keeping the place locked down. As it was known then, and further evidenced now, they were wrong, dangerously wrong.

Andrews, despite a good start, *smile* up twice. Once loosening then not ensuring the measures in place to limit spread weren't adequate. But the first issue was due to a lot of pressure from the same people who are now trying to lynch him.

Totlly agree. Morrison was pushing for it to open up & said there would be outbreaks in the process.
He basically said we have to live alongside the virus. A lot of people want it both ways it seems.
Yes mistakes have been made but honestly I think Morrison & Andrews are both doing extremely difficult jobs under this pandemic. On the whole Australia (under the National Cabinet) has done extremely well so far.
Not sure how long we acan hold the tide back for though unfortunately.

 

[Sintiger]

Victoria is doing twice as many tests per day as NSW, the rest of the states doing SFA tests.

Who's to say it isn't in the community in other states? They would have a lot of trouble knowing if it is.

The other states should be ramping up their testing but they're not.

DS

One of the main reasons Victoria’s tests are so high is because of the spike itself. The number of people going to voluntary testing has skyrocketed.
Add that to all the testing in the housing towers
That’s not happening in the other states of course.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Lock-down lunacy: How we stuffed it up (paywalled)
John Silvester
The Age
July 11, 2020

The busy television executive was heading to the office lift when his eyes flashed to the wall of TVs broadcasting one of Australia’s most popular daytime shows. The problem was it was the flagship of another network.

The private security guard at the front desk had flicked the remote to another station as he was bored with his employer’s choice of a 20-year-old sit-com.

The executive, filled with rage and post-lunch brandy, rang the security firm demanding the guard be sacked but after much diplomatic dancing he was given a second chance.

The security business is big business and behind the uniforms and marked cars it is also a ruthless one.

The industry is well and truly under the microscope as guards employed to enforce quarantine protocols at lockdown hotels have been blamed for the COVID-19 spike.

If the stories are true some of these guards thought social distancing was a sexual position from the Kama Sutra.

Rather than enforcing a strict 14-day lockdown it appears guards' training consisted of watching reruns of Hogan’s Heroes.

One young Pan Pacific Hotel quarantine guest, resplendent in bike shorts, took advantage of a sunny winter’s day to escape and take selfies performing a series of impressive handstands at South Wharf.

If there was a Coronavirus Olympics she would carry the flag.

Others believed the quarantine stretched to riverside coffees shops with lattes constituting emergency supplies.

These (and other) breaches were reported to a senior government official who did nothing. Only after the spike was the system reviewed.

Many of the hotel guards were not adequately briefed on the use of PPE, hospital-standard hygiene and social-distancing protocols.

There is to be a judicial inquiry into how the government chose (without tender) the three companies selected but a separate government investigation has already established the industry is a basket-case.

One of the companies selected, Unified Security, has a most excellent website listing its most excellent services, which includes specialising in high-rise buildings. Perhaps that was a selling point in dealing with quarantine hotels.

“Grasping the unique security requirements of commercial and high rise entities gives Unified Security Group a distinct edge over our competition,” the website says.

But opening the door for a lady taking her poodle for a walk is different to dealing with a pandemic.

Its Melbourne office is modest – a two-storey business unit next to the Blackburn Hotel in Whitehorse Road. In the carpark were two company four-wheel-drives in Indigenous livery. (The company declares, “Unified Security is proud to be Australia's largest wholly Australian and Indigenous-owned security company.”)

There are about 7000 security businesses in Australia, nearly 150,000 security officers and the industry is worth around $8 billion.

While the three selected security companies have established track records there are more cowboys in the industry than roam the Montana prairie after spring rains.

As one expert told us, “It is far too easy to start a security company.”

Some bid for contracts without the required level of staff then furiously subcontract, meaning those who pay the bills don’t know who they are employing.

In a VCAT case highlighted in a recently released government private security industry issues paper, a trainer was providing shonky security guard and crowd controller qualifications.

The three-week-course supposedly involved 128 hours of face-to-face classroom commitment. For the right price a student was given the answers to copy into the 218-page assessment book and would graduate in a day (two for the slow learners).

One student said the first-aid training was completed in ten minutes (BAND-AID 101).

A fair sign it wasn’t on the up and up was when police arrived 100 students simply ran away (ESCAPE 101).

In simpler times police would walk the beat in strip shopping centres, patrol industrial sectors and create a visible presence at football and festivals.

More than 30 years ago police brought in a user pays system for privately promoted events. If you want the cops you pay the bill. An officer is $172 per hour, it is $130 for a sub-officer and $100 for a street cop. So if you have 100 police at a footy game it costs just over $60,000 – well over twice the cost of a private service.

(How things have changed. When I worked at the Croxton Park Hotel in Thornbury the going rate for a table of police during a Rose Tattoo gig was three jugs per hour and a Chicken Maryland per head.)

Price is the problem. Legitimate companies say it costs $41 per hour to provide a properly trained, equipped guard while paying taxes, Workcover, penalty rates and leave components. The minimum to make a profit is $46 to $48.

Yet some are offering services at $34, which means they are cheating by paying cash-in-hand or failing to pay government charges.

(Bikies have provided nightclub security on a less formal basis, but they want a slice of the drug trade inside.)

Some guards say they are paid $20 an hour, receive no briefings, have to fend for themselves, have had pay cuts without notification and are expected to be permanently on-call.

One subcontracting security business wrote to a national provider claiming they had 40 professional guards ready to deploy. The trouble was their Workcover policy was for one worker.

The boss of a security business was seen driving his luxury car to contracted interstate shopping centres to pay staff from (recyclable) brown paper bags.

The cash business leaves workers exposed with few rights. It also allows guards to double dip. Some on sick leave for allegedly work-related injuries have been found working for other companies for undeclared cash payments.

Many of the rogues split along ethnic lines, recruiting from groups desperate for work and unaware of labour laws.

A report by the Australian Security Industry Association Limited said a substantial number of major clients turn a blind eye to companies breaching awards. “These customers are very often involved in hospitality venues and all levels of government.”

Just recently a private security company was awarded a contract involving a major building project with a bid 25 per cent under the accepted rate.

The big businesses and government agencies that employ the cut-rate cut-throats are complicit. If someone offered you a luxury car for next to nothing you would smell a rat.

As the ASIAL report says, “If it is too good to be true then it probably isn’t true.”

One executive from an Australia-wide client acknowledged, “We drive the price down. We screw them.”

Several of the big players, sick of being undercut by cowboys, are experimenting with robots for nightworks to provide a cheaper security presence.

The security business is a vital first step employer for newly arrived migrants. As GMH, Ford, Gas and Fuel and SEC provided jobs for migrants in the 1950s and 1960s the security business does now.

(Back then new arrivals lived in Nissen hut camps rather than locked down in high-rise buildings. The one at East Preston next to the brand new Northland shopping centre was near where I played junior football as a frightened wingman.)

An interesting twist. About six years ago private security guards in shopping centres frequented by African youths were near powerless dealing with organised shoplifting.

One company employed a Sudanese youth worker team leader who managed a team of mature and competent security guards of African descent. The conflict in the centre plummeted.

In a shopping complex near the Gold Coast there was a spate of crimes involving young Pacific Island and Maori males. A qualified guard (and part-time preacher) of Pacific Island descent was appointed security manager and the number of offences dropped markedly. He also organised youth outreach programs.

In Sydney’s west where there is a strong Islamic community Muslim security guards are valued earning reputations as reliable, calm and composed.

The government issue paper says there remain concerns about “sham contracting, insecure work, and underpayment of wages and superannuation in the industry”.

The line between the public and private sector was blurred years ago. Today it is all about partnerships, synergy, and lactose-free hot drinks.

Private security services are often now the first responders to factory alarms, health scares, fights in clubs or intruders in private houses.

The government position paper says that in New York and Britain private security and police co-operate to identify, "serious threats to public safety, such as terrorism".

Security staff “are uniquely placed in the centre of busy streets and events and are better able to notice when incidents or suspicious activity occurs”.

One of the greatest threats we face is from international interference including cyber attacks or buying into companies that possess sensitive material.

One of Australia’s most respected security firms, Securecorp, was sold to Chinese interests in 2016 for $158 million.

Staff were surprised when a Chinese government delegation arrived and was given direct access to the ultra-secure data room. A data room is not particularly interesting. It has a big machine with a few blinking lights and not much else.

What is in the Securecorp data room computer is interesting – such as CCTV cameras through Melbourne, the MCG security blueprint and data on major government buildings. Oh, and the details of the Australian Electoral Commission.

 

[tigerdell]

tldr.
Anything about coronavirus quarantine?

 

[AngryAnt]

Strange, rambling article from John S there.

 

[royce67]

Strange, rambling article from John S there.

I think Sly is testing out his post covid routine for smoke nights and Pleasant Sunday Mornings. A few dodgy rumours and anecdotes just before the stripper.

 

[DavidSSS]

I don't really see how that comment could be construed as an advocation for Trump methodology.

Indeed, Trump said test less, I said test more.

If anyone read The Age this morning you would see Prof Doherty (you know, the epidemiologist with a Nobel Prize) saying that he estimates the real infection rate to be 5-10 times the reported rate of infection. It's out there, and not just in Victoria.

DS

 

[DavidSSS]

Strange, rambling article from John S there.

Yeah, but at least he pointed out the security firms are very dodgy.

The government has to take the rap for hiring security firms rather than running the quarantine themselves.

But the security firms also need a lot of attention for their being useless.

DS

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Victorian leaders call on state to unite in the fight against coronavirus
Sunday Herald Sun
July 12, 2020

Victoria, we are in the fight of our lives. This vicious virus has inflicted on us one of the greatest challenges we have faced.

And how we respond to this challenge over the next few days, weeks and months will not only decide who lives and dies, it will decide the very future of our state.

Let there be no doubt, this is a moment in history where we either stand up and fight this virus or we condemn ourselves and our children to the toughest times we will ever know.

No more can we hope that coronavirus will be seen off by a few weeks of lockdown, a few months of working from home or online learning.

No, this virus demands of us that today we rise up as one in the greatest show of unity, singular purpose and commitment we have ever seen.

The stakes could not be higher. Coronavirus has in a matter of months extracted a massive toll on this state, and it has not finished with us yet.

The painful reality is that Victoria stands on the cusp of a killer pandemic that threatens to take all we hold dear.

Sadly, we are all paying the price for the minority who failed to follow the rules on distancing and isolating, who spread this circus by their actions.

To them today we say, stop it now, stop your selfishness. Do not put your own lives at risk — and even more importantly, those of your families and the entire community.

It ends now. From today you must be your very best. We need you to be your very best. And so too must we all be our very best.

It is only by being at our very finest that together we can defeat coronavirus. There can be no slip-ups any more.

And as we enter these dark days of lockdown it is incumbent on us all to be strong and to prepare for the inevitable pain that will be felt by many.

There will sadness, isolation, job losses, anger, pressure, tension, gloom, grief and that deep fear that comes from not knowing what will happen next.

And that is why today the Sunday Herald Sun implores all Victorians to not only fight this virus as one, but to make sure that all of us, individually and collectively, play our role in supporting our fellow Victorians.

Of course, we can get through these dark days, but we will only get though if we help each other.

No one must be left behind, no one must be left alone.

On this Sunday, July 12, we stand cut off from the rest of Australia and tied to the simple truth that we have never needed each other more than we do right now.

And that is why today our pledge to all Victorians is that we will do our part to get our state through this crisis. Our commitment is clear and simple.

We promise to be your voice. We promise to help you, guide you, inform your, fight for you and connect you. We pledge to work with you to beat this virus and find a way to a new era, a new dawn for Victoria.

This is our moment Victoria, and together, we will win.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) VICTORIAN HOTLINE

If you suspect you may have coronavirus (COVID-19) call the dedicated hotline – open 24 hours, 7 days. 1800 675 398

PRIME MINISTER SCOTT MORRISON

“I want to thank Victorians for how they’re responding to this outbreak and acknowledge their continued patience and strength.

This is a hard call on you and it’s not easy. This period will test you, it will strain you but you’ve proven your strength before and you can do it again.

As Australians, we are all Melburnians and Victorians now, because your success in staring down this threat will not just benefit you and your family and your community, but the whole country.

That means the entire country is behind you and supporting you to succeed and tough this out.”

PREMIER DANIEL ANDREWS

“Right now, we have thousands and thousands of Victorians working on the frontline of this pandemic:

Our nurses, doctors, paramedics and medical professionals.

But the truth is, those dedicated health workers are not actually the “frontline”. They’re the last line in our defence. And we owe it to them to each play our part.

Staying at home. Following the rules and listening to the health advice.

We can get on top of this. But we can only do it together.”

VICTORIA POLICE CHIEF COMMISSIONER SHANE PATTON

“We are facing a hidden killer, one we can’t arrest or see. Through necessity we have had to make some harsh, unpopular decisions, but there is an old saying ‘out of adversity comes opportunity’. This is a time, an opportunity for all Victorians to rally together and show how proud we are to be Victorians, how resilient we are. If we all absolutely do the right thing, obey the rules and health guidelines, we will come out of this in the best shape we can and maybe, even better as a society.”

LORD MAYOR SALLY CAPP

“Melburnians rally together when it is needed most.

Never underestimate what we can achieve when our backs are against the wall.

Right now, we are focused on helping those who need it.

And once the restrictions are eased, I know that our community will come out in force to support our local businesses and enjoy all our city has to offer.

We can get through this by sticking together and caring for each other.”

SALVATION ARMY MAJOR BRENDAN NOTTLE

“Right throughout our history, Victorians have demonstrated, time and time again, that when it comes to genuine acts of care and compassion towards one another, especially the most vulnerable, we stand head and shoulders above any other state or territory in the nation.

It’s naturally who we are, especially during tough times. Look after yourself, check in on others, especially those doing it tough and together, let’s help Victoria shine its compassion and resilience unlike any other place in the country.”

ACTU SECRETARY SALLY MCMANUS

“We face this challenge together. The coronavirus heroes are those working people who will again risk themselves for all of us such as nurses, healthcare workers, cleaners, supermarket workers, delivery riders and contact tracers.

And our protectors are every person who stays at home when sick or if they come into contact with someone with the virus.”

BILLIONAIRE AND PHILANTHROPIST ANTHONY PRATT

“In this time of great need in our community we have to stay strong – and listen to what the health professionals are telling us. My heart goes out to the families that have already been affected by this pandemic.”

THE HON. LINDA DESSAU AC, GOVERNOR OF VICTORIA

“We were always warned that the fight against COVID-19 would be a marathon, not a sprint. And we had seen examples overseas, where the virus appeared to have been conquered, only to return.

Still, it is hard to be prepared for the disappointment, sadness and the financial and personal concerns that accompany a return to tighter restrictions.

We do know though what we need to do. We need to follow the expert health advice, and not let our frustration distract us.”

PENNY FOWLER, CHAIRMAN, HERALD & WEEKLY TIMES

“As Victorians we all need to support each other during this difficult time.

Staying connected and safe will help us get through this. My thoughts go out to everyone who is suffering. We are a wonderful, caring state with a history of pulling together in moments of crisis. And we will do that again.”

FEDERAL TREASURER JOSH FRYDENBERG

“As a proud and passionate Victorian I know we can suppress this virus and protect lives and livelihoods because we have done it before and by working together we will do it again.”

FORMER PREMIER STEVE BRACKS

“I have enormous faith in Victorians and their capacity to deal with adversity.

I’ve got no doubt that we’ll get through this by working together, unifying and making sure that we all support each other through this process.

Victorians have shown their resilience before.

We always come through this and we will do it all together.”

FORMER PREMIER JEFF KENNETT

“We’ve got no alternative so we’ve got to do the best we can.

I’m sure Victorians are out there caring for another and looking for those who might be on their own and isolated.

But they have to make sure they themselves are in a good place.

Part of getting through this is looking after your own physical and mental wellbeing.”

AFL CEO GILLON MCLACHLAN

“One thing about Victorians is that in a time of crisis people stick together.

We saw that earlier in the year when Victorians from across the state came together to support those communities who had been devastated by bushfires.

The thoughts of all our players, clubs and officials go out to all the families who are affected by this virus and its impact on the physical, emotional and economic wellbeing of our community. Football stands with you in doing everything we can to help overcome this latest challenge and ensure we get Victoria back on its feet as quickly as we can. Take care.”

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

^^

A call to arms and appeal for unity that illustrates the trouble we're in.

I'll continue to do the right thing and would've done so with or without their input, but there are a lot of people angry that it's got to this and I'm not sure full co-operation is attainable at this stage.

 

[LeeToRainesToRoach]

Victoria will drag every state into COVID-19 crisis
Peta Credlin
Daily Telegraph
July 12, 2020

The Prime Minister said last week that “we’re all Melburnians”. Well, thank god you’re not. I’m here at the moment and it’s a plague-ridden city in a basket case state led by a man who is a lethal mix of political rat cunning, PR spin, unwarranted self-belief and sheer utter incompetence.

Even then, he stands head and shoulders above the ‘brains trust’ of his ministry, most of whom would find running a bingo night a challenge, let alone managing the complex work across multiple government agencies and departments that’s needed to beat this pandemic.

Of Friday’s 288 new infections in Victoria (the highest single day tally for any Australian state at any time in this pandemic), health authorities had no idea where more than 90 per cent of them came from.

It was much the same story again on Saturday, with another 216 new cases reported. Given the reality of more than 1300 new infections over the past fortnight, nearly all of them community transmission, this disease now looks perilously close to being out-of-control — and if it’s out-of-control in one state, it won’t be easy to keep it contained in the rest of the country.

And that’s before we even factor in the economic damage of this second lockdown given Victoria accounted for 40 per cent of Australia’s economic growth last year.

No other state has tried to manage COVID-19 like Victoria, and no other state has been hit as hard.

For all their clever attempts at media management, there’s just no hiding from the numbers that expose the Andrews Government lie that this second wave outbreak is the result of families getting ‘complacent’, as the Premier bellowed on Tuesday.

Once Australia had shut its national borders and then sent every returning traveller into hotel quarantine, the disease was well on its way to being contained in the general community with statistics showing that from late April to late June, new cases were rarely more than 20 a day, almost all among returned travellers.

If I was back advising politicians, putting the greatest effort into managing the jumbo jets of likely infections coming home would have been my priority. Particularly after NSW’s Ruby Princess debacle, checking and rechecking procedures for managing returning travellers should have been a no-brainer. In other states, it was; not so in Victoria.

Where other jurisdictions used ‘uniforms’ — police or army personnel — to run hotel quarantine, Daniel Andrews handed it to his Jobs Minister, who then handed it to the private security industry, which is connected to his own union.

Jobs Minister, Martin Pakula, then spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on contracts with these security firms that did not go through the usual tender processes.

We all know the allegations now — firms paid for staff that were never rostered on, guards trading sex with travellers for being let out of quarantine, chronic lack of training and more.

But don’t let this bad behaviour absolve others from their responsibilities — I know government, so where were the audits from health officials, where were the spot checks from police and contact tracing teams once the early signs of outbreaks among security guards emerged? Who was warned and when? Why were so many in quarantine allowed to refuse COVID tests?

Is it any wonder the Premier wants all questions shunted off to his inquiry that won’t report for months and is as toothless as any I’ve ever seen given it doesn’t have the power to compel documents or witnesses making it little more than a sham?

The Premier has admitted that contact tracing is now his biggest challenge and that more help is needed, so why then is he now using call centre operators rather than the Australian Defence Force, the best logistical experts I know?

It was revealed last week that Victoria did not follow the national guidelines for tracing and yet even though the PM continues to offer the ADF, the Premier continues to refuse.

I bet this would be the Opposition’s first question to Andrews if parliament was sitting, but it’s barely sat since March with Labor even using its casting vote on Monday to kill off a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis.

The centralisation of power in the state of Victoria is truly disturbing.

Early in the crisis, the Premier circumvented normal cabinet processes by swearing in an eight person corona cabinet.

He’s used the recent branch-stacking scandal to put the Victorian Labor Party into administration, disenfranchising every one of its 14,000 members, reducing accountability and making him even more powerful.

The public service and key agencies like the police have been more-than-usually politicised so there’s little “frank and fearless” advice there either.

If Daniel Andrews was a company director, he’d be sacked by now and facing the regulators, and the courts. Yet in Victoria, with fixed terms, he has until the next election due in November 2022 before he faces those that ‘regulate’ him.

It’s instructive that when a federal Minister, Dan Tehan, earlier accused Andrews of a “failure of leadership” for not reopening schools when the health advice was that it was more than safe to do so, the Prime Minister instructed him to withdraw and apologise.

On Friday, announcing an inquiry into hotel quarantine, Scott Morrison specified that it was to consider how well this had been done right across the country — even though the only place where border protection measures have failed has been Victoria.

If this is a fair dinkum inquiry, the PM will give Jane Halton (who is running it) all the powers she needs to do it properly, including the powers not granted in Victoria in terms of access to documents and witnesses.

This coronavirus crisis is costing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer welfare and more in terms of economic activity, so just like we’re demanding a full and proper global inquiry into COVID-19, we must have a transparent one here in Australia.

There’s a very real chance that Victoria’s outbreak will not be able to be contained. And it will drag every other state backwards, and the country too.

This isn’t just a Melbourne concern anymore, it’s now a national emergency.

 

[Sintiger]

Victoria will drag every state into COVID-19 crisis
Peta Credlin
Daily Telegraph
July 12, 2020

The Prime Minister said last week that “we’re all Melburnians”. Well, thank god you’re not. I’m here at the moment and it’s a plague-ridden city in a basket case state led by a man who is a lethal mix of political rat cunning, PR spin, unwarranted self-belief and sheer utter incompetence.

Even then, he stands head and shoulders above the ‘brains trust’ of his ministry, most of whom would find running a bingo night a challenge, let alone managing the complex work across multiple government agencies and departments that’s needed to beat this pandemic.

Of Friday’s 288 new infections in Victoria (the highest single day tally for any Australian state at any time in this pandemic), health authorities had no idea where more than 90 per cent of them came from.

It was much the same story again on Saturday, with another 216 new cases reported. Given the reality of more than 1300 new infections over the past fortnight, nearly all of them community transmission, this disease now looks perilously close to being out-of-control — and if it’s out-of-control in one state, it won’t be easy to keep it contained in the rest of the country.

And that’s before we even factor in the economic damage of this second lockdown given Victoria accounted for 40 per cent of Australia’s economic growth last year.

No other state has tried to manage COVID-19 like Victoria, and no other state has been hit as hard.

For all their clever attempts at media management, there’s just no hiding from the numbers that expose the Andrews Government lie that this second wave outbreak is the result of families getting ‘complacent’, as the Premier bellowed on Tuesday.

Once Australia had shut its national borders and then sent every returning traveller into hotel quarantine, the disease was well on its way to being contained in the general community with statistics showing that from late April to late June, new cases were rarely more than 20 a day, almost all among returned travellers.

If I was back advising politicians, putting the greatest effort into managing the jumbo jets of likely infections coming home would have been my priority. Particularly after NSW’s Ruby Princess debacle, checking and rechecking procedures for managing returning travellers should have been a no-brainer. In other states, it was; not so in Victoria.

Where other jurisdictions used ‘uniforms’ — police or army personnel — to run hotel quarantine, Daniel Andrews handed it to his Jobs Minister, who then handed it to the private security industry, which is connected to his own union.

Jobs Minister, Martin Pakula, then spent tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on contracts with these security firms that did not go through the usual tender processes.

We all know the allegations now — firms paid for staff that were never rostered on, guards trading sex with travellers for being let out of quarantine, chronic lack of training and more.

But don’t let this bad behaviour absolve others from their responsibilities — I know government, so where were the audits from health officials, where were the spot checks from police and contact tracing teams once the early signs of outbreaks among security guards emerged? Who was warned and when? Why were so many in quarantine allowed to refuse COVID tests?

Is it any wonder the Premier wants all questions shunted off to his inquiry that won’t report for months and is as toothless as any I’ve ever seen given it doesn’t have the power to compel documents or witnesses making it little more than a sham?

The Premier has admitted that contact tracing is now his biggest challenge and that more help is needed, so why then is he now using call centre operators rather than the Australian Defence Force, the best logistical experts I know?

It was revealed last week that Victoria did not follow the national guidelines for tracing and yet even though the PM continues to offer the ADF, the Premier continues to refuse.

I bet this would be the Opposition’s first question to Andrews if parliament was sitting, but it’s barely sat since March with Labor even using its casting vote on Monday to kill off a parliamentary inquiry into the crisis.

The centralisation of power in the state of Victoria is truly disturbing.

Early in the crisis, the Premier circumvented normal cabinet processes by swearing in an eight person corona cabinet.

He’s used the recent branch-stacking scandal to put the Victorian Labor Party into administration, disenfranchising every one of its 14,000 members, reducing accountability and making him even more powerful.

The public service and key agencies like the police have been more-than-usually politicised so there’s little “frank and fearless” advice there either.

If Daniel Andrews was a company director, he’d be sacked by now and facing the regulators, and the courts. Yet in Victoria, with fixed terms, he has until the next election due in November 2022 before he faces those that ‘regulate’ him.

It’s instructive that when a federal Minister, Dan Tehan, earlier accused Andrews of a “failure of leadership” for not reopening schools when the health advice was that it was more than safe to do so, the Prime Minister instructed him to withdraw and apologise.

On Friday, announcing an inquiry into hotel quarantine, Scott Morrison specified that it was to consider how well this had been done right across the country — even though the only place where border protection measures have failed has been Victoria.

If this is a fair dinkum inquiry, the PM will give Jane Halton (who is running it) all the powers she needs to do it properly, including the powers not granted in Victoria in terms of access to documents and witnesses.

This coronavirus crisis is costing hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer welfare and more in terms of economic activity, so just like we’re demanding a full and proper global inquiry into COVID-19, we must have a transparent one here in Australia.

There’s a very real chance that Victoria’s outbreak will not be able to be contained. And it will drag every other state backwards, and the country too.

This isn’t just a Melbourne concern anymore, it’s now a national emergency.

Even though I am not a fan of his I almost want to defend Dan just because of who wrote this. However I can’t but I will say that this is a perfect example of how political bias can blindly apportion blame In one way. I am sure some ALP hack could write an article with a completely different spin on it.

One comment that is incredibly misleading is the one about the government having no idea where 90% of the 288 cases came from. Every day when we get announcements about case numbers there are a large number of cases listed as source unknown. That’s because it takes more than 24 hours to do all the contact tracing. Either she knows that and is spinning it or she doesn’t know, in which case she needs to research a bit better.

I prefer reading facts than biased opinion from any side of politics

 

[Tigers of Old]

I'll continue to do the right thing and would've done so with or without their input, but there are a lot of people angry that it's got to this and I'm not sure full co-operation is attainable at this stage.

If anger stops people doing the right thing then that is on them. Can blame anyone you want for errors that have been made but 'personal responsibility' is a phrase that's never been more important than right now.

 

[eZyT]

Funny how many who were demanding easing the restrictions and being allowed to return to some sort of normality are slamming Andrews for doing what they were calling for.

Bolt, Newman and their types were *smile* wrong to mount so much pressure on the Vic government to loosen restrictions because we had handled it well. He was being called all sorts of *smile* for keeping the place locked down. As it was known then, and further evidenced now, they were wrong, dangerously wrong.

Andrews, despite a good start, *smile* up twice. Once loosening then not ensuring the measures in place to limit spread weren't adequate. But the first issue was due to a lot of pressure from the same people who are now trying to lynch him.

Alan Jones is driving 2 agendas on his Sky news slot like a stuck record

1. climate change is a hoax and
2. Corona Virus is a hoax

he just repeats that taking either seriously is damaging the economy and makes you an idiot.