Right now, the rest of Australia is probably looking at Victoria with a fairly large dose of schadenfreude.
After all, the only thing better than not being in lockdown is seeing someone else in lockdown.
Despite the ongoing ineptitude across his government, Dan Andrews has somehow maintained significant support from Victoria — an approval rating of 67% (though that was before the current lockdown), and slavish adoration across social media.
While all politicians and health officials have been forced to make policy “on the run” during the pandemic, Victoria’s approach, which has now led to a second city-wide lockdown, appears to have lacked consistency.
Consider:
- Victoria maintained the strictest and longest lockdown, with many school years only returning on June 9. NSW, which had a far more serious initial outbreak, returned to school from 11 May and were back by 25 May in full. Community transmission in NSW has been virtually nil in recent weeks.
- Golf was banned in Victoria, but building sites were able to remain open with minimal requirements at all times following a deal between the Labor government and its union and property developer donors. The building sites that were finished during the first lockdown would almost certainly remain empty, given commercial and residential vacancy rates have skyrocketed.
- Playgrounds were shut for several months (despite there still being virtually no transmission between children). Meanwhile bottle shops, Bunnings stores and large shopping centres remained open. Apparently buying a bottle of vodka is more essential than kids getting exercise.
- Year 11 and 12 students will return to school next week, but all other school years will be required to remain at home during the six-week lockdown. This is despite Victoria’s second largest cluster, with more than 100 cases, occurring at Al-Taqwa College amongst years 11 and 12. The Victorian government is essentially ordering kids who almost certainly don’t transmit the virus to remain at home, while those who do to go back to school.
- The government largely ignored the Black Lives Matter protests, with mild threats of fining a handful of organisers. While a powerful and deeply important cause, and the protests themselves appeared to not lead to any transmission, allowing 30,000 people to ignore strict lockdown laws made it virtually impossible to enforce those laws going forward. By contrast, a month earlier, police fined (but later withdrew) a learner driver $1652.
- Victorian police led the nation in fining the community. In late May, almost 6,000 Victorians had been fined, compared to only 1290 people in the more populous NSW. While police were feverishly ensuring people in suburbs with zero community transmissions were having kids’ parties, travellers returning from virus hot spots like the were free to roam the streets and reportedly having sexual relations with hotel security guards, almost certainly leading to the second lockdown.
Hmm…some weird comparisons:
Golf courses and building sites? Recreation vs. paid work that can assist the economy to keep ticking along and whether already half built projects will be used when completed is irrelevant- plus having been in a few, a low risk environment is quite easy to achieve compared to densely packed city office workers—
Playgrounds? Where small children don’t understand social distancing but can carry the virus?
Year 11 and 12 students whose futures may be severely impacted by their VCE exam results and may not all have equitable access to resources if they have to home school—-
I think on many of your points you are clutching at straws—-Andrews has retained popularity because he appears to be committed and trying his best—- why stir up division?
How dare you question the epidemiological expertise of a travel industry businessman.
You made the points I was going to make – I would add that the Black Lives Matter marches were outdoors and most of the attendees wore masks as far as I could see.
Most of the criticisms levied at Dan Andrews in this article concern implementation of decisions taken by the “COVID Cabinet” and also applied to us in other states. Victoria was unlucky and my heart goes out to them. I can see little point in such carping – it is not helpful. Perhaps the author should read the article below and note that after initial confusion about unfamiliar situations that no one has experienced before, people of good will work together and produce positive outcomes
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-07-11/testing-residents-in-melbournes-public-housing-nurse
Why publish another Andrews bashing piece like this? We have News Corp. All states have inconsistencies in their efforts as they try to do the right thing on the fly. A more useful approach would be to admit the virus spreads by exploiting people’s behavior. Until all Australians take responsibility for their own behavior, outbreaks will keep happening. The best comment I have seen to date (in another outlet comments section) is “Premiers don’t infect people, people infect people”.
I agree, Phil…and a great quote at the end of your comment, which happens to be the whole truth of the matter!!
But if you believed Crikey output this week, you’d be forgiven for thinking that those ‘people’ in public housing towers DON’T infect other people…which is why they should have been given 24 hours notice so they could go shopping in stores where there are lots of other PEOPLE!
The mind boggles at such lunacy!!!!!
“slavish adoration” on social media. Really? I expect this from Murdoch and Sky but not from Crikey.
Plenty of slavish adoration in the Crikey comments sections too. As well as plenty of pearl-clutching and threats to withdraw subscriptions if they stop publishing stuff which challenges the commenters’ worldviews.
No, what’s offensive is the standard Newscorp anti-Victorian Labor line that Crikey’s now running. The LNP and its media cronies see the pandemic and the second lockdown as a great chance to undermine the ALP’s hold on Victoria.
When we subscribed to Crikey we did not subscribe to a slightly softened Newscorp LNP propaganda media outlet and that seems to be what’s been sprung on us. We’ve got a right to be annoyed.
Well said!
Very well said.
I thought Dan’s army had all unsubscribed after BK’s efforts earlier this week and Rundle’s yesterday… Apparently back for more.
Not saying he’s perfect but just expect better than comparing playing golf to the the myriad of benefits of keeping building sites open-
One cannot unsubscribe, only decline to renew.
Creeky refunds not a zac after 24hrs once ensnared.
Such a shame, considering what this site once was.
Yep, totally agree. One of the reasons that DA is SO popular is the level crossing removals. To breeze past those intersections in Carnegie and Ormond is like living in another world – one not involving spending 15 minutes for 3 passenger trains and a goods train to go past at 5:30pm every night. There is a reason why DA has a lot of credit in the bank with the people of VIC and gets support – he actually has delivered on what he said he would.
The other angle with the pandemic, is the constant ask for certainty when we have none. No politician can deliver it and it would be great if the media could stop pretending that if every admin process was perfect the virus would disappear. Instead of a laundry list of quibbles, how about some ideas on solutions and what would actually improve things. Does the author of the article want ALL construction stopped in VIC, no fines issued but at the same time no democratic protest (remember the Brumby protest – no, oh because the media didn’t go on about) and VCE students to complete year 12 alone at home? What is the point of this article than a needless dig or is this crikey’s own form of click-baiting?
Mr Schwab’s laundry list of Andrews’ alleged inconsistencies were observed up here in NSW too. It seems to me the person enjoying the most schadenfreude is the author of this piece.
FYI, the regional country markets were allowed to re-open in NSW last weekend. At my local, I saw no social distancing and only two people wearing face masks. Want to start bashing Gladys when the second wave comes to NSW, or will it just be easier to pile more blame on to Andrews?
Premiers don’t infect people
True
But incompetent governments can cause people to infect people and Andrew’s is currently the dictatorial boss of the government the health department.
The lousy implementation of hotel quarantine caused the second wave, that is proven. If the government subcontracts quarantine implementation to security firms without oversight, checks and mandatory testing, then it is the governments fault that it triggered the second wave, with clients freely running around in the hotel and some security guards fu__ing female clients.
Why do assume that the only horizontal folk dancing was with females?
Interestingly has the author read the article immediately above this one? It’s the same whinging and carping that mainstream media is renowned for. It’s a time to come together and not be divisive……I know journos love the gotcha but maybe curb that enthusiasm
Why don’t you commenters just accept that DA has made errors. Your constant blathering on and flag waving for DA is beyond the pale and is evidence of your “neoliberalism done it” regardless of the facts attitude. Please please stop it. Your constant harping of the journalists here at Cky is just too much.
I accept it; he’s made errors (much earlier in the pandemic he helped save Morrison from some major errors). But I still don’t like the ‘constant harping’ at DA in Crikey articles like this one. Today’s Schwab effort takes the cake for trivial examples and pure conjecture (eg. the BLM demo). Easy enough find mistakes and inconsistencies in Crikey’s darling, NSW, too.
I beg to differ. Everyone can please themselves re the articles, but the comments here keep me coming back. They are informative, fascinating, educational, at times exhilarating, but above all, enlightening.
I don’t always agree with attacking the messenger, but you know, sometimes it just has to happen.
So your last sentence expresses your view of the article we’re discussing? Implying you agree with it, because it just ‘has to be said’? This is a Murdoch tabloid-quality piece, which is what many of us are objecting to. Some would say ‘everyone can please themselves re the comments’, but most of us are here, and pay for, the articles. We expect better than aforesaid quality level.