The federal government shouldn’t keep providing economic help to COVID-19 free states and territories if they keep their borders closed to tourists. There is another solution that may solve Victoria’s economic woes, writes Jeff Kennett.
Premier Daniel Andrews’ plan to ease out of lockdown may be called a Road to Recovery but Victoria is on its knees. If he were CEO of any sizeable business that caused the same financial and personal hardship, he would have been sacked by now, writes Jeff Kennett.
It is now less than two weeks until Victoria’s state of emergency ends and it’s time to set out a simple set of principles to get the state moving again, including appointing a qualified person to lead the task, writes Jeff Kennett.
When Daniel Andrews sends out messages like he did on Monday, seeking an extension of a state of emergency until next year, it sends ripples of fear down the spine of most Victorians. How can our Premier not see how his words will cause the rapid drying up of jobs, security and hope, writes Jeff Kennett.
Less than halfway through Victoria’s second lockdown, women are increasingly accessing mental health and financial counselling while crisis calls are spiking. With no certainty as to when or how we will emerge from restrictions, it’s time for Dan Andrews to offer messages of hope, not despair, writes Jeff Kennett.
As the community overwhelmingly complies with the Premier’s stage four restrictions, he must clearly outline his virus strategy so we can make plans to rebuild confidence and employment in our city, which right now is a ghost town, writes Jeff Kennett.
Premier Daniel Andrews declaring Victoria to be a state of disaster is an insult to the 99.9 per cent of residents who have willingly complied with his restrictions while losing their jobs, businesses and economic security. The real disaster is the government he leads, writes Jeff Kennett.
The mandatory mask rule is a public display of our failure to combat the coronavirus pandemic. But what’s most disturbing is that the new direction comes with the threat of a fine, writes Jeff Kennett.
It’s too early to say to what extent the Victorian government has contributed to the rising numbers of COVID-19 infections but what we must do right now is try to safely live with the virus while keeping the lights on in our state, writes Jeff Kennett.
Political correctness has put us at risk of destroying so much of the Australian traits of character. And while we must eliminate discrimination in all forms, it can’t be to the point we change our identity, writes Jeff Kennett.
Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/journalists/jeff-kennett/page/16