Jeff Kennett: Victoria paying heavy price for government’s hubris
Our elected officials have caused death and destruction and massively increased Victoria’s debt but still no one owns up. Until our Premier accepts responsibility for his government’s failures, the state will continue to be forced into a social and economic abyss, writes Jeff Kennett.
Opinion
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No one at the head of government or its bureaucracy knows anything.
Government just operates remotely.
What absolute rubbish. We are being misled by elected officials who have clearly surrendered their right to be paid by the public purse.
Collectively they have caused death and destruction and massively increased Victoria’s debt.
And still no one owns up, admits to anything nor accepts any responsibility.
DEATH
Consider the facts. At the time of writing, 761 Victorians have lost their lives. Victoria’s hotel quarantine failures should not have occurred, but they did because of the Andrews government’s hubris.
Once the virus got into aged-care facilities, our vulnerable were at extreme risk.
DESTRUCTION
The government’s failures and its subsequent attempt to regain control of a virus it mismanaged through the implementation of draconian restrictions has caused significant disruption to our lives, our freedom stolen.
Movement severely restricted. Children’s education disrupted, but also their social maturing, in many cases causing stress and anxiety within the home. Single people openly discriminated against and grandparents prevented from helping their families.
Many businesses destroyed. If it were not for the federal government’s JobKeeper subsidy, many more businesses would have closed already and may still do so before June next year.
Unemployment rising, particularly among our young.
Victoria’s calendar of events cancelled and dormant. Melbourne as a city of major events has died. Victoria is no longer a vibrant state On the Move — unless you count being able to walk within a 5km radius.
DEBT
Last year Victoria’s debt was about $22bn. By 2022 it was projected to be approximately $50bn. Now the government has approval to borrow another $24bn. More recently another $21bn of expenditure was announced. Debt will be close to $100bn in two years.
Make no bones about it, the legacy of the Andrews government will be deaths, destruction and debt. Sadly, it will take years to rebuild Victoria and the debt will be an economic sinkhole for years to come, particularly when interest rates start to rise.
Our children and grandchildren will be penalised for decades, and many will leave our state to find work and build their careers.
Now consider this, by way of comparison. In 2014, NSW premier Barry O’Farrell resigned because he inadvertently misled ICAC over a bottle of Grange Hermitage wine he had received as a gift. He was not responsible for any deaths, destruction or debt.
Minister Steve Herbert was forced to resign by Premier Daniel Andrews for having his dogs chauffeur-driven in his ministerial car. He was not responsible for any deaths, destruction or debt.
Adem Somyurek was forced to resign by Daniel Andrews for branch stacking. He was not responsible for any deaths, destruction or debt.
Jane Garrett was forced to stand down by Premier Andrews for doing her job, defending the Country Fire Authority. She was not responsible for any deaths, destruction or debt.
And both the speaker, Telmo Languiller, and his deputy were forced by Premier Andrews to stand down for rorting their entitlements. Neither were responsible for any deaths, destruction or debt.
The Premier, who has no hesitation in sacking or removing ministers who oppose him or who may appear to the voting public to offend one of his standards, will not accept any responsibility for the tragic deaths, destruction and increase in debt caused by his gross mismanagement.
I have said before Australia’s corporate sector is littered with the carcasses of CEOs who are considered to have acted inappropriately or who have not been able to sufficiently deliver in the competitive world in which they operate. Meanwhile, our Premier continues to deny any responsibility for the harm he has rendered on the community he was elected to lead. He says he knows nothing. That things just happened. Rubbish.
Daniel Andrews is a product of the Labor Party. While leading his party, he has exercised total control over his ministers and the ALP machine. No one in his party will even question his authority, except Jane Garrett and she was sacked for challenging the demise of one of Victoria’s great volunteer organisations.
This week the Premier is scheduled to appear before a hamstrung inquiry he established to provide himself with an excuse to refuse to answer questions about who was responsible for the decisions made by his government that led to the hotel quarantine debacle and the second wave of the virus.
While everyone is denying any responsibility, and some are starting to point the finger at others, one thing that appears clear is it was the Premier who made the decision to lock us all up nightly with a curfew.
It was inferred it was the police, but they denied requesting a curfew. The Chief Health Officer said he was not consulted and did not recommend a curfew.
We then find out a deputy Chief Health Officer signed the authority with no reference to his superior. Just a good idea? Or another decision from the Premier without any consultation?
The legacy of this ALP government will be death, destruction and debt, and until the Premier accepts responsibility for his and his government’s failures, Victoria will continue to be forced into a social and economic abyss.
Take heart, we will get through this in time, but what a price we are paying for our government’s mistakes?
Have as good a day as you can.
Jeff Kennett is a former Premier of Victoria