Jeff Kennett: Why Victoria’s road map is a road to ruin
Premier Daniel Andrews’ plan to ease out of lockdown may be called a Road to Recovery but Victoria is on its knees. If he were CEO of any sizeable business that caused the same financial and personal hardship, he would have been sacked by now, writes Jeff Kennett.
Opinion
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I take no offence at the Premier curling his lip as he dismisses a journalist’s question raising my concern that the number of reported deaths of our senior citizens as a result of coronavirus could be misleading.
The concern I (“that person”) raised was that the number dying as a result of COVID-19 may be conflated with the number dying from other underlying causes while having coronavirus.
Firstly, I would never politicise death or the bereavement of grieving families and friends. We are all weighed down daily by the gravity of COVID-19 and the threat it poses to our families and our communities.
However, in questioning the veracity of the data upon which the Victorian government is formulating its response, I was thinking of my fellow Victorians and the very real and damaging consequences of the state government’s extended stage four restrictions, which I fear will have serious and far-reaching consequences. Meanwhile, my concerns regarding the accuracy of the data are shared by “other persons” including many medical professionals.
Do not forget, Victoria is in this position today for one reason only — our government, led by the Premier, comprehensively failed in its administration of hotel quarantines. Since that catastrophic failure, the Andrews government has been scrambling to regain control and 666 lives have now been lost.
Now they have a plan called the Road to Recovery. But there will be no return to normal as we knew it.
Businesses have closed. Children’s education and social development have been savagely disrupted. Our economy, our hospitality, sports and entertainment sectors, which employ so many Victorians, have been brought to their knees.
Many in the community have remained employed although often with their income reduced. There are thousands of businesses, which employ cumulatively hundreds of thousands of Victorians, bleeding to death socially and economically.
Many businesses have not been able to open at all. Some have adapted, such as the restaurants offering takeaway meals to keep the lights on but many businesses have earnt no revenue for what could be nine months, while still paying their rent, utility and insurance costs.
The Premier is in a privileged position. He has gone from university straight into politics and has never run a commercial risk, directly employed people, paid wages, business taxes, rates or rent.
He simply does not have the living experience to understand the impact his demands are having.
Sadly, in the process, the Premier has turned our police force into something of which Russia’s Putin would be proud. Hunting down citizens for not wearing face masks, for exercising for too long, or visiting a family member.
The Premier says this is a health challenge. Of course it is, but his reliance on the Chief Health Officer’s advice as the sole priority is misguided. Premiers should take advice from many, weigh up that advice and then make balanced decisions in the state’s interest.
We could have and should have allowed a more generous opening from September 14.
Sadly, it appears the Premier listens to no one. If you have a concern, a different opinion, you are berated, ignored or dismissed.
I wear the moniker of “that person” as a badge of honour. I stand with the industrious among our community, the people who are bearing the brunt of our Premier’s demands.
They are the employers of our children and our grandchildren. They are the providers of hope and endeavour. The business owners, their staff, the workmen and women on our building sites, the drycleaners, the hairdressers, our cafes and restaurants, our nurseries, the teams who design, build and cater Victoria’s previously renowned events calendar, which have come to a grinding halt. The stories they have shared with me over the previous months are genuine, often heartbreaking and they cannot be discounted.
They are all “that person” and the Premier appears to misunderstand their plight as he destroys their financial security, independence, and peace of mind.
The road map out of our current position provides no certainty. If every state needed 14 consecutive days with no new cases before reopening, they would be in lockdown like we are.
Mr Premier, while we continue to do as told, as a result of your absurd path of manic control, many business owners have little light in their lives.
You are fortunate the federal government continues to financially prop up our state while you drive the Victoria and the nation into recession.
But when this is over, as it will be, you will be dealing with an even bigger issue. A shrinking economy, a shrinking population, growing unemployment and mental health issues on a scale we have never witnessed before. What will you do then? Blame the public?
The reality is, Mr Premier, if you were the CEO of any sizeable business that had caused the same pain, loss, financial and personal hardship as your government, you would have been sacked or stood down well before now.
Of course, you might have accepted that responsibility and done the right thing and stood down. But you have and will not.
I respect the office you hold. But I also respect the many Victorians who ask me to speak on their behalf, to do what I can to give voice to their fears and questions and the consequences of your government’s mismanagement.
Have a thoughtful day.
Jeff Kennett is a former Premier of Victoria