Jeff Kennett: We could have lived with the virus from day one

The chief health officer’s admission that we might not achieve zero Covid cases again proves that for the last two years we have suffered for no good reason.

To borrow a line from the musical Fiddler on the Roof, “Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles”, Victoria’s chief health officer has at last admitted the state might not be able to achieve zero cases of Covid. Hallelujah!

After almost two years in which the state and community have been savagely and unnecessarily punished, education disrupted and lost, businesses lost, revenues lost, freedoms lost, major events lost, Victoria’s reputation ridiculed, and our children and grandchildren left with a debt that will adversely affect the rest of their lives, the Premier, who always only considered the health implications of the advice he received when responding to Covid-19, is now preparing to change his position.

The Premier, who never governed for all Victorians, never expressed any concern for the impact his autocratic style of government had on all Victorians, will now be able to say, “Because the CHO says we will not secure zero cases in Victoria, we are going to have to live with the virus”.

Grandparents in the later years of their lives have had almost two wasted years of their lives, separated from family. Untold damage to children’s education, the state’s economy shrunk as business activity driven to subterranean levels. The City of Melbourne turned into a set for a future horror movie.

What a wasted, painful two years we have all had to tolerate, as the Premier exerted his authority over us all.

Daniel Andrews has hid behind the coat tails of the CHO during the pandemic.

We could have lived with the virus from day one, had it not been for the Premier’s failure over the administration of hotel quarantine at the beginning of last year. It was from that deadly debacle, the Premier decided to avoid any more mistakes and hide behind the coat tails of the CHO whose only role was to advise on health matters.

The CHO was only doing his job. Sadly the Premier accepted the CHO’s advice alone, when he should have been weighing up the CHO’s advice against the impact of that advice on all other sectors of the community.

The last two years have been the greatest and most damaging failure of public administration in Australia’s history. The Victorian government should resign en masse for accepting their collective responsibility for what they have rendered on the state and allowed to occur. Of course, they will not, for who would employ any of them?

The sad reality is when we hit the target of 80 per cent of all those eligible to be vaccinated was reached, the Premier had indicated we were going to have to live with the virus, and any illnesses would be among those who chose for one reason or another not to be vaccinated. Or were we? Was he going to keep us in lockdown or with heavy restrictions until New Year? Maybe we will never know.

For now, Professor Sutton has given him the excuse to start easing restrictions. Just as public resentment and pain is starting to reach politically dangerous levels for he and his government. Not to mention the genuine pain among so many in the community.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton conceded the state may never reach zero Covid cases again.

The moment Daniel Andrews admits publicly his management of the virus has been wrong and unnecessarily damaging to the state, the moment he says we are going to have to live with the virus, we can start the rebuilding process.

The question then to be asked: is Mr Andrews the person to lead that rebuilding? The simple answer is, in my opinion, no. Not on a personal basis, but because he has been the face, and orchestra leader, of the pain that has been rendered on so many.

All of that to one side, I have every confidence with the right settings we can start to rebuild Victorian society and economy.

But the sooner we start the better. It should be today. More than a third of our community are fully vaccinated. More than 50 per cent have had one shot.

Those with both shots should be able to start moving around their community. Proof of two shots is available on one’s Medicare app.

Open those restaurants where staff are similarly fully vaccinated, and those small retail shops that have been closed off and on for months. Theatres, community sport and even arrangements to ensure fully vaccinated people who might come to the Australian Open are allowed in without the 14 days of quarantine that if still in place puts the event at risk.

In fact, let the Australian Open become a milestone of achievement for us all and a sign Victoria is lifting itself off the mat.

I do not support a “Freedom Day” as has occurred in the UK, because we can start relaxing the restrictions from today.

For the first time in a long while I feel excited about what we now might be able to achieve if the Premier is prepared to accept the realism of the advice from the CHO as he has done in the past. Admit zero cases is not and was never going to work and start living with the virus.

Look at New Zealand. They like Victoria preened themselves when they thought they had achieved zero cases, but that was never going to be the case. They are back in lockdown, political reputations in tatters.

We are now hearing of new mutations of the virus overseas. If correct, not surprising as many of those in the medical profession have been warning us that may occur.

What is certain is Victoria cannot go on living as we have been. Being lectured to, open and closed for schooling and business, no certainty and for many no hope.

Experience tells me that once you change the dynamics, end the lockdowns, open the schools, a lot of stress and anxiety will disappear. Unchanged, things will only get worse.

So, Mr Premier, you have the opportunity, the excuse to change the dynamics. I trust you are man enough to start doing so in a meaningful way from today.

Onwards and upwards.

Jeff Kennett is a former premier of Victoria