Daniel Andrews’ road map pushback is the cruellest blow yet to our desperate city
Under Daniel Andrews’ own road map, tomorrow was set to return many freedoms robbed of desperate Melburnians since before the catastrophic second wave. But despite reaching his lofty case target, the city remains locked-up — and its Premier is once more refusing to follow his own script, writes Shannon Deery.
Opinion
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The only anthem that should have been ringing out across Melbourne radio on Sunday was that of the mighty yellow and black.
In less than ideal weather, having risked head and shin (skin if you’re so inclined), the mighty Tigers fought and fought their way to a stunning third premiership in four years.
If anything was worthy of back-to-back playing of the greatest footy anthem to have ever been recorded, it was that: the Tigers latching their claws onto the real prospect of a three-peat.
And yet as Daniel Andrews headed to his daily conference to dash the hopes of a desperate city, a musical protest anthem was the overture of choice for our national broadcaster.
As the city sat waiting for the Premier to take the stage, the iconic Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables was played across Melbourne radios.
The song, for those unfamiliar, is a revolutionary call to arms in a civilian uprising to overthrow the government. Heavy stuff.
To quote: “Do you hear the people sing, singing a song of angry men, it is the music of a people, who will not be slaves again.”
And then: “Will you join in our crusade who will be strong and stand with me, beyond the barricade is there a world you long to see, then join in the fight that will give you the right to be free.”
It’s hard to imagine the ABC calling on wide-scale rebellion.
But the song choice certainly summed up the mood of many after Andrews said he needed just a little more time before announcing Melbourne’s next steps.
We’re almost there, just a little bit more. Or so we keep being told.
But the light at the end of the tunnel just keeps shifting further and further away on a seeming road to nowhere.
Under the recovery road map unveiled on September 6, today, October 26, was set to return many freedoms.
There were to be no restrictions on reasons or distance travelled for leaving home.
Public gatherings would increase to 10 people outdoors, and up to five visitors would be allowed in homes.
Retail and hospitality would reopen also.
All of that triggered if Melbourne’s daily case average for the two weeks prior was under five, and mystery cases in that time were also under five.
Despite the warnings of many epidemiologists that the targets were unrealistic, Melbourne basically got there.
We are well under five for the daily case average, and the nine mystery cases don’t seem to be bothering the experts.
And still we wait.
Last week we were told the road map had essentially been scrapped, but by November 1 at the latest we’d be gifted the freedoms we have been missing for most of this year.
Things were looking so good that the Cox Plate was to be run in front of a crowd, before a backflip, and changes were to be brought forward by a week amid repeated promises that Sunday would see “significant announcements” made.
But seven new cases and some unprocessed test results scuttled those plans.
In reality we are likely to hit the revised November 1 target, and will most likely get there ahead of time.
But the constantly moving goalposts and uncertainty is causing frustration and hurt among Victorians.
There’s not just anecdotal evidence to suggest that, polling has showed support for the government’s pandemic response now is more divided than ever.
Many are now losing confidence in Andrews and his team.
Are we not in a position where, with numbers so low, we can trust that a cautious opening up can handle small outbreaks? If not, why not?
Andrews wants to see the results of 1000 yet to be processed tests before announcing the timeline for Melbourne’s next steps.
If they’re not what the public health team wants to see, then what? How long do we wait?
Former health minister Jenny Mikakos says we’ve waited enough.
Sure, she’s got a bone to pick after being unceremoniously thrown under the bus and blamed for the government’s hotel quarantine debacle.
But she was “in the tent” of decision making (as Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton described it) and therefore better placed than about 24 million other Australians to comment.
She said the road map targets were “very cautious” and that any further delay was now unnecessary, citing a “paralysis in decision making” for a refusal to ease restrictions.
Andrews will have to make a decision this week.
He hopes to do it by Tuesday at the latest.
Unlike previous announcements, it can’t be based on speculation, hope and the promise of rewards for good behaviour.
It is time for a concrete plan, even if it’s not what we want to hear.
With further restrictions eased in the regions, the divide between Melbourne and country Victoria continues to grow.
As for watching the Grand Final with almost 30,000 in attendance, we here in Melbourne can only dream.
Shannon Deery is the Herald Sun state politics editor