Jeff Kennett: Dictator Dan answers to no one and now he must go

What we are seeing in Victoria is not a virus out of control but a Premier out of control, and totally misusing his authority.

Between January 1 and May 26 last year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported 974 deaths in Australia from influenza.

In that 20-week period, 49 Australians died every week. Was there a community uproar? No. Did Premier Daniel Andrews express any public concern? No. Did he introduce restrictions or impose a curfew? No!

Come forward to our Covid-19 experience. The first case recorded in Australia was in Victoria on January 25 last year. In the 80 weeks since, 970 Australians have died from Covid-19, or 12 a week; sadly most in Victoria, 820, when Mr Andrews’ oversight of hotel quarantine created the biggest industrial and deathly failure in Australia’s history.

The other 150 deaths occurred in other states and territories. Yes, this virus is serious, but does it warrant the sort of restrictions that are in place now in Victoria? The answer is clearly no.

The virus has now been among us for almost two years. In that time, we have learnt a lot more about it, how to treat it and minimise the risks of attracting Covid-19.

The Victorian Premier is out of control and misusing his authority. Picture: David Crosling

Acceptance of individual responsibility must play a part.

The most important advance has been the development, arrival and distribution of vaccines to reduce the risk of Covid-19 and the wearing of masks.

To date, 26 per cent of Victorians are fully vaccinated and 46 per cent have had one shot. Those percentages are growing by the day. Most of our most vulnerable, our senior citizens, have been vaccinated. Our hospital system is well equipped to handle those who might require hospitalisation.

What we have in Victoria, in fact in Australia, is not a virus out of control but a government, and in particular a Victorian premier, out of control, misusing his authority. Lecturing us day after day. Deliberately threatening armageddon unless we all do as he says.

We must be rid of Daniel Andrews, who is knowingly damaging our children every day. Picture: Getty Images

The ramifications of his actions are far worse than the virus that he says he is protecting us from. Far worse is the carnage that lies in every street shopping centre, in the hospitality, tourist and entertainment industry.

For so many, the damage being done to our children, in primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Many will never catch up; they will be advanced to the next level of education without the foundation that the last two years would have provided.

So many of the young have lost the sense of discipline that is learnt with attending school regularly. Many have lost the importance attached to the social development that goes with attending school.

Then there is the stress, and, in many cases, the residual damage being done to parents, in the main women, trying to homeschool their children. So many of the restrictions have been applied almost instantaneously, imposing great costs on businesses and families.

I could go on, but we saw this week the greatest disregard and insult by Mr Andrews to the community of which he is part. He arbitrarily closed down the Victorian parliament with the words “I answer enough questions here every day”.

We must learn to live with this virus before Dan Andrews makes it impossible for there to be any chance of a reasonable recovery. Picture: Getty Images

What an appalling but very clear illustration of how he sees his authority. Answerable to no one.

We can play football matches, we can buy alcohol, go to supermarkets and a limited range of activities, but the parliament can’t meet because he says so. Parliament is the ultimate body within our democracy. And Mr Andrews decides to close it down. That is dictatorial!

Make no bones about it, Mr Andrews is accountable to no one. He deliberately sets out to divide our community between those he favours and those opposed to him ideologically. His cabinet is silent, as are the henchmen and women within any dictatorship. They should be ashamed of themselves that they have so surrendered their responsibilities to us all.

Mr Andrews hides behind his medical advisers to socially realign our society. Now as well as closing our parliament, as the federal parliament continues to sit, he is sending in our police force to target children who live in confined small flats because they want to have a swing or a slide.

We must learn to live with this virus before Mr Andrews makes it impossible for there to be any chance of a reasonable recovery.

Carnage lies in every street shopping centre, in the hospitality, tourist and entertainment industry. Picture: Getty Images

We must be rid of Mr Andrews, who is knowingly damaging our children every day. Australia has never seen or had an individual in a position of elected office who is so abusing the process of which he is part, and the people whose interests he is meant to be acting in.

As there is no way of constitutionally removing him, his colleagues must wake up and do so. Or the people of the state will remove them all when the chance next arrives, and when the damage that is being caused by this self-appointed demigod is fully understood.

Be disgusted but alarmed