Poll: Should we pursue elimination or suppression of COVID-19?

Australian premiers are at war over the COVID-19 strategy - suppress or eliminate the virus? But WA Premier Mark McGowan needs to get back in his box, writes Kylie Lang. VOTE IN POLL.

It would serve Western Australian premier Mark McGowan – and indeed the rest of the country – to get back in his box.

Oh, but wait, there’s an election looming, and we in Queensland have seen what phenomenal cachet a global pandemic has in swaying voters.

An uppity Mr McGowan has slammed the NSW government, which is Liberal and therefore to be automatically despised by Labor, over its handling of the crisis.

He asserts it is out of step with other states and territories that want to “crush and kill the virus”.

It is Mr McGowan who is so awkwardly out of step.

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan. Picture: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

Elimination of coronavirus has been described by leading national and international health experts as impossible. The goal is suppression.

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said as much on Sky News on Tuesday morning, the day after her WA comrade’s absurd outburst.

“We’ve always said ‘suppression’ and let me say why that’s the case,” Ms Palaszczuk in response to being asked if Queensland stood for elimination or suppression.

“You’ll always have Covid cases that are coming in from international (sic), from people around the country, we are seeing high rates of Covid especially in the northern hemisphere … larger numbers coming through positive in hotel quarantine so there is always that chance,” she said.

Learning to live with the virus has been widely accepted as the most rational and reasonable approach.

It is also one that offers the best chance of sorely needed economic recovery and, importantly, safeguarding the mental wellbeing of Australians negatively impacted by lockdown and restrictions preventing them from seeing loved ones.

Mr McGowan, who has been accused of running Western Australia like a jail such is his hard line on borders, appears to believe otherwise.

Responding to the latest swipe against the NSW government, deputy premier John Barilaro called Mr McGowan a “goose” and his remarks “offensive”.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at National Cabinet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Barilaro told 2GB radio Mr McGowan’s strict border stance was crippling people’s mental health.

“We’ve had COVID deaths in this nation. But we’re going to have more deaths from mental health (problems), from people locked away in isolation, not being able to reunite with family, and that’s actually what he stands for,” Mr Barilaro said.

“So I’m happy to say that this morning and have a go straight back at him. Stop lecturing us.”

Mr Barilaro told ABC radio: “We’re doing a bloody good job on the eastern seaboard and why don’t you become a part of the rest of this country?”

It’s a fair question, not that Mr McGowan is likely to answer it, given he’s going to the polls on March 13 and is no doubt influenced by the border stance – which many called belligerent and fear mongering – of Ms Palaszczuk leading up to last October’s election in Queensland.

Perhaps Mr McGowan is not a goose at all when it comes to political smarts.

One thing that has become starkly apparent during this entire pandemic, however, is that warring between the states and territories is hugely unproductive.

It’s also immature, and wearisome to those of us witnessing it.

Uniformity is what our nation needs to tackle coronavirus.

We are all Australians, first and foremost, and the good of our country relies on achieving a sensible balance between managing COVID, kickstarting the economy and protecting mental wellbeing.