Scott Morrison flags desire to end QR codes in post-pandemic life

Scott Morrison says certain Covid policies are “not normal” and it’s time for the government to step back from managing lives.

Scott Morrison has taken a further step towards outlining his post-pandemic freedom agenda as he prepares to go to the polls next year.

Delivering the address to the annual Sydney Institute dinner on Monday night, Mr Morrison told an audience of several hundred that it was time for the government to honour their commitment to step back from managing Australians’ lives.

“While necessary, it is not normal for government to tell Australians where we can and can’t go, who we can and can’t invite into our homes, to stay home, to close our businesses,” said Mr Morrison.

Flagging his desire to see an end to QR codes and other tracking regimes, the prime minister added, “It’s not normal to keep track of where we’ve been, not be allowed to visit friends or relatives, go out to dinner or the pub. None of these restrictions belong in the lives of Australians.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says tracking measures related to Covid won’t last forever. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“It is time for governments to step back and let Australians step forward,” he said.

Mr Morrison also drew a political contrast with the left, saying that “some on the left of politics will draw precisely the wrong lesson from the pandemic.

“Where it is viewed as the pretext for a more expansive government role and reach into society – across economic, social and cultural domains.

“This would be a profound misjudgment … The reach of government in this pandemic is not some new norm; it has a use-by date.”

Mr Morrison also flagged the unique success of the Australian response to Covid, saying that “Despite shared values, we see the world from a different vantage point to many like-minded Northern Hemisphere democracies.”

“I think of what’s been achieved by our mix of public and private health care providers, flexing and responding in a way that consistently got the job done on the Covid frontline – large public and private hospitals and pathology sharing the load, right through to local GPs and community pharmacies all playing their part,” he said.

In his speech the prime minister also pointed to economic recovery, with an expected 5.5 per cent growth rate next year, as well as safety – from threats ranging from domestic violence to attacks on critical infrastructure – and national unity as ongoing goals of his government.

Originally published as Scott Morrison flags desire to end QR codes in post-pandemic life