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James Campbell: Dan’s plan leaves the economy behind

Permitting recreational pursuits is all well and good, but keeping cafes and restaurants closed is bad news for Victoria’s economy, writes James Campbell.

Melbourne’s cafes and restaurants have been left in the dark again. Picture: William West/AFP
Melbourne’s cafes and restaurants have been left in the dark again. Picture: William West/AFP

The bottom line from Daniel Andrews’s announcement this morning is that while social life and recreation might be getting back to normal, large slabs of the economy will remain closed.

The Premier has done the bare minimum he could have done given what is happening in the rest of Australia – especially New South Wales.

The good news is we will be able to have five people over to our houses and ten of us can meet up in a park.

We will also be able to golf, surf and go fishing.

But unlike NSW where they will be reopening later this week, cafes and restaurants will remain shut for another three and half weeks.

The Premier’s argument for why they need to stay closed was that the feedback from the industry is that with only ten patrons on site they would be making a loss.

But surely that is a matter for them?

They might well be unviable with that many customers but in that case they don’t have to open.

Dan’s solution to businesses not taking in enough money from dining in is not to let them take any money from it at all.

Instead he held out the – unspecified – prospect that he might permit a more general relaxation of the rules in June.

There is no relaxation of the message that if you can work from home you must work from home, which will mean the centre of Melbourne will remain quiet for now.

As for the question on the lips of every parent – “When are the kids going back to school?- there was no specific answer.

We will hear more on that one later this week.

In the meantime we can rejoice in the freedom to meet our friends and go to the park.

But only on the ovals. Playgrounds will remain closed.

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james.campbell@news.com.au

James Campbell
James CampbellNational weekend political editor

James Campbell is national weekend political editor for Saturday and Sunday News Corporation newspapers and websites across Australia, including the Saturday and Sunday Herald Sun, the Saturday and Sunday Telegraph and the Saturday Courier Mail and Sunday Mail. He has previously been investigations editor, state politics editor and opinion editor of the Herald Sun and Sunday Herald Sun. Since starting on the Sunday Herald Sun in 2008 Campbell has twice been awarded the Grant Hattam Quill Award for investigative journalism by the Melbourne Press Club and in 2013 won the Walkley Award for Scoop of the Year.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/james-campbell/james-campbell-dans-plan-leaves-the-economy-behind/news-story/aeb18c174d5463838bff582061911776