Rita Panahi: Bullish Dan’s gaslighting goes largely unchallenged

Daniel Andrews remains bullish through every failure, this time he seems to have amnesia about 4000 intensive care beds he promised.

Victoria is more locked down and isolated than ever.

Dan Andrews continues to enjoy the support of the bulk of the media even as he turns Melbourne into an authoritarian hellscape that’s increasingly derided around the world.

As NSW prepares to reopen with its 70 per cent double vaccination target expected to be reached two weeks earlier than originally planned, Victoria is more locked down and isolated than ever.

Our roadmap requires 80 per cent of all over 12s to be vaccinated — not over 16s as the national plan states — to reach the final phase. Melburnians will be living under restrictions well after Sydneysiders have their freedoms restored.

Through every failure the Premier remains bombastic and bullish. This week he was asked how many of the extra 4000 ICU beds announced last year by then health minister Jenny Mikakos have been delivered. His response indicates Mr Andrews is again suffering from selective amnesia, as he did during the Coate inquiry, or he has a rather unique relationship with the truth.

“No, no hang on a minute, that is not what she announced,” he said. Before going on to mock the notion that it’s even possible to have “4000 beds down at a warehouse somewhere” and then “turn the Exhibition Building into an ICU unit”.

Through every failure the Premier remains bombastic and bullish. Picture: Getty Images

But an additional 4000 ICU beds is precisely what was promised by the state government. “We currently have about 450 to 500 intensive care beds in Victoria and now we are going to fund another 4000 intensive care beds taking us to a total of 4500,” Mikakos said on April 1 last year with Premier Andrews standing behind her.

What’s more, the premier’s own office released a statement on the same date confirming that Victoria’s ICU capacity would be increased by 4,000 in response to the Covid-19 crisis. “Victoria’s health system will receive a massive $1.3bn injection to quickly establish an extra 4000 ICU beds as we respond to the coronavirus pandemic and protect Victorian lives,” read the statement from Premier of Victoria, the Hon Daniel Andrews.

pic.twitter.com/C7tYIIFnQz

— David Davis MP (@DavidDavisMLC) September 23, 2021

“Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos announced the boost, which will secure the ICU equipment, staff and space we need to meet the expected surge in case load at the peak of the pandemic. At present, Victoria’s public and private health services have approximately 450 fully equipped and staffed ICU beds, but we know that won’t be nearly enough if the spread of the coronavirus continues.”

Now, the Premier treats any questions about this promise as if it’s some wild conspiracy theory. However, his gaslighting goes largely unchallenged by the compliant media.

It’s a wonder why the taxpayer spends so much on his media unit when the majority of the press is happy to run the premier’s agenda for free.

Melbourne will soon be crowned the world’s most locked-down city. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

But the state government must ready itself for further civil disobedience, and not from protesters that can be easily demonised, but from ordinary Victorians who will stop complying with orders in the same manner parents revolted against the playground ban. They will look at people in Sydney living relatively freely and wonder why they are subject to strict conditions at 70 per cent double jabbed.

Victoria is breaking records on a number of fronts. On Thursday the state recorded its highest daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began, Melbourne will soon be crowned the world’s most locked-down city and the mayhem in our streets is receiving worldwide attention with headlines from China to the US to the UK.

The New York Times and BBC are among outlets around the globe showing chaotic scenes of violence in Melbourne, including footage of police shooting pepperball rounds at protesters.

Meanwhile, Victoria had 766 cases from just 62,408 tests. NSW’s tally was 1063 from 139,182 cases. The disparity in test numbers remains stark. If Victoria had done as many tests as NSW in the past 24 hours, and the positivity rate held, our daily case number would be 1,708.

The mayhem in our streets is receiving worldwide attention. Picture: AFP

It all makes the state government’s claims that parts of NSW are “extreme risk zones” and fully vaccinated Victorians must self-isolate for 14 days even after returning a negative test appear rather ridiculous.

But at least the thousands of “stateless” Victorians who have been stranded across the border, some of them for months, will finally be able to return to their homes from September 30.

The change in government policy comes after the Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass launched an investigation into the Department of Health’s handling of border restrictions. Many of those stranded are elderly and some have suffered health issues waiting in caravan parks with their repeated requests to enter their home state rejected.

Given the requirement for 14 days of self-isolation they should’ve been allowed in months ago, many are elderly, double vaccinated and have returned multiple negative tests.

The hardship these Victorians have unnecessarily endured due to absurd, inflexible restrictions should shame the Andrews government. But sadly, this is a government incapable of shame.

IN SHORT

The MCG will be empty again as two Melbourne teams vie for the premiership cup. And on Friday we have the grand final eve holiday, a silly indulgence during normal times and utterly ridiculous now. You can only laugh.

Rita Panahi is a Herald Sun columnist