Edwina Bartholomew: ‘Hurling urine’ not the way out of lockdown

We all want restrictions to be over but hurling urine at reporters and flying Trump 2020 flags is not the way to achieve it, argues Edwina Bartholomew.

A charcoal chicken, a cheese plate and a couple of glasses of champagne. Who knew that was all we needed to feel better about life?

This week in NSW, we were allowed picnics for five fully-vaccinated adults and our kids. When the state government first announced the measures I thought it was token, and such a small change wouldn’t make a difference. I’m happy to say I was completely wrong.

On Sunday, I took my daughter to the playground to meet some little friends. It was simple and joyful. They played together on equipment and I caught up my mates while eating warm croissants and fresh strawberries. It felt like, well, 2019.

Police and protesters clash at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Getty Images

Then Monday rolled around and Melbourne erupted. No one has suffered more during this pandemic in Australia than Victorians. By the time “freedom day” rolls around on October 26, Melbourne will have the unenviable title of the most locked down city in the world. In total, 267 days or nine months will have been spent under strict stay-at-home health orders since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020.

Kids have spent eight months in home school, nurses and doctors are exhausted, residents are also understandably frustrated that vaccines went to NSW when they should have been distributed equally.

So imagine sitting at home in lockdown watching a bunch of entitled professional protesters take to the streets, hurling urine at reporters, lighting flares and flying Trump 2020 flags? That’s been happening all week on the streets of Australia’s second-largest city.

‘Protesters’ gather at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. Picture: Getty Images

Some of the people protesting were construction industry members but most were just troublemakers. What were they hoping to achieve? No one actually knows, not even the thugs climbing all over police cars. We all want restrictions to be over. We all want life to return to normal. This is not the way to achieve it.

In Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory life has already returned to normal. For those states, the protest pictures were particularly jarring. It was like watching another country descend into chaos. Even the thought of a socially distanced picnic sounds absurd to them.

I look forward to the day when we all are all in the same boat – when protests are behind us, picnics don’t seem exceptional and the simple things are just standard.