Drip-feeding Victorians meaningless freedoms is insensitive

A promise from our no-plan Premier of a “modest” easing of restrictions turned into a kick in the guts for Victorians.

That’s all, folks. We got nothing from our Looney Tunes Premier, who’s keeping us in lockdown for at least another month, maybe more

What a kick in the guts for the millions of Victorians staying home, wearing masks, avoiding loved ones and home schooling their frustrated kids.

Premier Daniel Andrews is the no-plan man drip-feeding us meaningless freedoms one tiny morsel at a time.

He can’t tell us when schools are reopening – he’ll give us his plan for that next week.

He can’t tell us how year 12s are going to get vaccination priority – schools have the plan for that.

He can’t even tell regional areas who’ve barely had a case this year their plan – that’s coming next week too.

Parents remain in the dark about when school will return. Picture: Jason Edwards

Wednesday’s announcement delivered a whole lot of nothing to a state already frustrated and upset by ludicrous, punitive and unfair restrictions.

There was nothing for business, the arts or hospitality, nothing for students and nothing for parents.

The only thing that’s going to change is tomorrow night’s reopening of playgrounds – which should not have been closed in the first place.

Measures such as QR codes at playgrounds, and rules prohibiting mums and dads from removing masks to take a sip of coffee are an insensitive way to treat those who are home schooling and caring for their kids around the clock.

Andrews says we will be in lockdown “in some form” until October and that current restrictions will continue until September 23. It’s unimaginable to think we’ve got another three weeks of this after we’ve lost so much already.

By September 23 it’s estimated that 70 per cent of the population will have had at least one vaccine shot.

That’s when Andrews will expand the five-km radius to ten km, open skate parks and increase construction to 50 per cent. It shows how little faith he has in us.

Opening playgrounds was an easy decision when they should never have been closed. Picture: Josie Hayden

Where’s the proof such restrictions make any difference at all? The virus doesn’t know the difference between five and ten km.

Same goes for the expansion of exercise from two hours a day to three- who the hell wants to exercise three hours a day?

It’s the same thing for the resumption of in-home childminding. These longstanding arrangements should never have stopped in the first place, particularly for parents who are essential workers.

These changes are not “modest” -as Andrews said. They are mean and meaningless.

There was also nothing for the one in three adults who are double vaccinated already, and nothing allowing year 12s to see their teachers.

Instead, all year 12s got was the movement of the GAT – the General Achievement Test- to October 5. This is the fourth time it’s been moved. It’s now inside the exam period, making it more likely that exams will be moved back. What a disgraceful way to treat the year 12s who’ve spent eight months learning at home in the past two years.

He can get 50 per cent of workers back on construction sites but not work out how to allow 60,000 year 12s across the state to meet with their teachers.

By giving us so little, Premier Daniel Andrews is ignoring the mental health tsunami that’s enveloping our state: rising self-harm, teen suicide, depression and family fracture and violence.

Our kids, who will do 170 days of home schooling – the highest in the world- are already disengaged, hopeless and depressed. But that didn’t rate a mention either.

Older people are also isolated, desperate and craving contact from family and friends.

They, too, got nothing.

The press conference, with its emphasis on the high number of new cases shows the continued reliance on case numbers ahead of vaccination rates, putting us out of step with other states like NSW. It’s a bad omen of things to come.

This is not a road map to opening up, it’s a dead-end keeping us locked down for longer.