US TV host takes aim at Australia’s ‘draconian’ Covid-9 rules

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has gone to town on Australia’s Covid-19 policies but expressed his admiration for WA.

A US TV host has delivered a scathing take-down of Australia’s leaders for their handling of the coronavirus outbreak slamming the Covid-19 policies as “draconian”.

During his show on the Fox News network on Thursday, Tucker Carlson didn’t hold back on his understanding of what life is east coast states. But he did praise Western Australia.

He wrote that Australia “looks a lot like China did at the beginning of the pandemic” referencing “people being welded inside their apartments to starve, the guys in hazmat suits forcing people in quarantine boxes and driving away to some unknown destination”.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson does not agree with Australia's Covid response. Picture: Fox News

Carlson began his monologue by saying Americans “loved” Australia – but something had changed.

“When Americans think of Australia, they imagine a freer, tougher version of themselves. Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee, that kind of thing. So there’s a huge reserve of affection in the United States for Australia, its culture, and its people.

“It’s also possible most Americans, us included, have not updated our assumptions about Australia in a while.

“The modern reality is a little different from what we imagine,” he warned.

He brought up the Australian Federal Police’s raid of the ABC’s offices in Sydney in 2019 and said that was because the broadcaster had “embarrassed” the government over allegations of war crimes by Australian solders in Afghanistan.

“That’s not the kind of thing that happens in a free country, to put it mildly. And yet, Australia’s military and police forces never suffered any consequences for doing it; In fact, many Australians supported it.”

But it was Covid-19 and Australia’s response to it that recalled riled the controversial Fox News commentator.

Covid-19 in Australia “draconian”

He called current Covid regulations “draconian” hitting out at lockdowns.

“What does Australia look like? It looks a lot like China did at the beginning of the pandemic.

“At the time, our public health officials told us nothing like that could ever happen in our country or in the west,” said Carlson.

“But that was wrong because those things are now happening in Australia. This is what happens in Australia if you try to leave your apartment.”

Carlson praised WA for closing its borders.

“Western Australia didn’t allow thousands of people to stream in from anywhere they wanted to in the world. They’re not Texas. They didn’t care about protecting their borders. They’re not worried about being called racist. It seemed common sense, and it worked,” he said.

“And here’s the really revealing thing. Australia’s federal government is angry that Western Australia has closed its borders. They want that part of the country to open its borders.”

He said that rather than WA opening its borders, NSW and Victoria should come out of lockdown.

“Covid mandates are a far greater threat to Australia’s economy and its social fabric than Covid itself.

“The Queensland health minister explaining that outdoor mask mandates are necessary because of two new Covid cases. Not two thousand, but two,” he exclaimed.

Carlson argued the force used against Covid rule flouters was unjustified. Picture: Fox News

Carlson was also perplexed by footage that surfaced this week from St Kilda in Melbourne, which showed a man being arrested after police spotted him smoking and not wearing a mask.

The man claimed he had two masks in his pocket, but police were heard saying: “he has no valid reason to be here. We told him to move on and he’s not wearing a mask”.

The exact reason for the man’s arrest or whether he was formerly charged were not clear.

Carlson however, argued it was a clear example of “obvious authoritarianism”.

“It’s terrifying that could happen in a civilised English-speaking country, Australia of all places.”