Rita Panahi: Dan delivers lockdown and hospitals that can’t cope

Daniel Andrews has been running Victoria since 2014 and was the health minister in the Brumby government. He is responsible if Victoria’s health system isn’t fit for purpose.

On day 57 of Melbourne’s 7-day lockdown — the sixth lockdown we’ve endured on our way to being the most locked down city in the world — the state’s daily case numbers soared to a record high of 1,438 from just 65,497 tests.

Think about how absurd it is that of all places it is Melbourne, an affluent city in an affluent island country where international borders have been closed since March 2020, that will have the ignominy of being the most locked down in the world.

At Thursday’s press conference the premier continued his blame game strategy pointing the finger at “people not following rules” while simultaneously emphasising that he wasn’t apportioning blame.

Premier Andrews claimed he was simply providing “leadership” by “calling out” people.

Throughout the pandemic Victorian Labor has sought to divide Victorians and turn them against each other to distract from its own failures.

The Premier was also at pains to point out that “it’s not a lockdown contest” between Melbourne and Sydney.

Daniel Andrews is responsible if Victoria’s health system isn’t fit for purpose. Picture: David Caird

“I’m not here to make comparisons with NSW,” he said.

Oh really? He was certainly keen on that throughout July and early August regularly taking potshots at NSW and giving unsolicited advice.

“I don’t think any Victorian needs convincing that everything we did is worth trying in Sydney right now, like a curfew for instance,” he said smugly on July 27.

In announcing Lockdown Six, the premier again took a shot at NSW saying we were locking down hard and early to avoid their fate.

“The alternative is not being locked down for seven days, it’s being locked down for seven weeks,” he said.

Well Premier, your one-week lockdown is due to last 12 weeks.

We are at this grim point due to the astonishing failures of an inept government that has botched every aspect of its pandemic response and used city or state wide lockdowns as a substitute for bolstering the health system and tailoring a targeted response.

It is appalling that the members of the crisis cabinet and senior bureaucrats won’t be held accountable for the state’s hotel quarantine disaster.

The WorkSafe whitewash could see taxpayers liable for up to $95 million in fines after 58 charges were laid against Victoria’s Health Department but not a single individual who made decisions that led to loss of life and widespread devastation is facing any charges.

NSW reported 941 cases on Thursday from 120,993 tests as Sydneysiders look ahead to the October 11 reopening once the state reaches the 70 per cent double vaccinated target.

Melburnians will remain under a strict lockdown for weeks after Sydney reopens.

Daniel Andrews was happy to take potshots at Sydney until things turned bad. Picture: NCA NewsWire

Even once Victoria reaches the 70 per cent double jabbed target we will still have onerous restrictions including bans on visitors in the home, indoor dining, indoor church services, gymnasiums and a range of other freedoms people in NSW will enjoy at the same vaccination rate.

We are told the Andrews government’s decisions are based on protecting the health system which would be overwhelmed if the state reopens at 70 per cent, and now there is doubt around fully reopening at 80 per cent as the national roadmap dictates.

But other parts of the advanced world opened at far lower vaccination rates, some were open before the vaccine was even available and their hospital systems coped.

Even the UK, with its terrible Covid-19 response including lengthy Victorian-style lockdowns coped.

The seven Nightingale hospitals built in England to provide extra capacity were rarely used and began closing in April.

What is so uniquely terrible about our hospital system that it cannot cope?

What is the justification for keeping the young, healthy and double vaccinated under house arrest?

We are told the state’s ICU capacity would not be sufficient but the Andrews government promised 4,000 new ICU beds and staff at the start of the pandemic.

The premier’s office released a statement on April 1 that read: “Victoria’s health system will receive a massive $1.3 billion injection to quickly establish an extra 4,000 ICU beds as we respond to the coronavirus pandemic and protect Victorian lives. Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister 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.”

Where are the ICU beds, Dan?

Premier Andrews has been running this state since 2014 and was the health minister in the Brumby government.

He is responsible if Victoria’s health system isn’t fit for purpose.

The additional 4,000 beds, equipment, staff and space promised 16 months ago have never materialised and the feckless Melbourne media has allowed the premier to dodge accountability.

It’s easier to keep more than five million people under house arrest than to deliver a health system capable of coping with excess demand.

Malcolm Turnbull is now challenging Kevin Rudd in the misery stakes.

IN SHORT

Remember when Malcolm Turnbull promised he would not become an embittered pest after being knifed by colleagues? Australia’s worst Liberal PM vowed that he’d bow out gracefully unlike his immediate predecessors. “There is no way I would be hanging around like Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott,” he said. “Seriously, these people are like, sort of miserable, miserable ghosts ... move on.”

Turnbull is now challenging Rudd in the misery stakes; regularly sniping at the party that belatedly dumped him as he works though his spill ‘hit list’.

It’s little wonder that former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett took to Twitter on Thursday to slam Turnbull as an ungrateful, vindictive malcontent.

Kennett tweeted: ‘Malcolm Turnbull. You are the most, friendless, despicable individual. You signed the contract for the French submarines. It had no strategic value for Australia, using old technology. Its cost has blown out to over $90bn, and was years late for delivery. You had the unique opportunity to become Prime Minister of our country because of your membership of the Liberal Party. Since leaving parliament you have used every occasion to discredit those who gave you that opportunity. Enjoy your wealth for you are certainly not a team player. Maybe never were.”

Ouch. The comments came after Turnbull attacked the Coalition for tearing up the disastrous French sub deal.