Confusion reigns on border issue as leaders fail to effectively communicate

Conflicting advice and mixed messages abound as our leaders – state, territory and federal – fail to agree on border closures, writes DENISE CAHILL.

Denise Cahill

3 min read

May 31, 2020 - 1:26PM

Chief Minister Michael Gunner is refusing to provide a date when the borders will be open to interstate and international travellers (minus the 14-day quarantine), yet his health minister has ruled out any tourists visiting the Territory during the dry season. Picture: Che Chorley

Opinion

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WHO told who what now when?

It makes no sense.

But that’s what we’re getting out of territory, state and federal government leaders right now.

Politics is like the movies, right?

Our leaders sitting around a shiny, jarrah, oval table nutting out policies, saving the world.

Sure, COVID-19 means those scenes aren’t possible because of social distancing and people working from home but surely in this day and age our pollies can come up with a tried and tested method of effective communication.

What’s App, Google hangouts, messenger … there’s a start.

But instead, Chief Minister Michael Gunner is refusing to provide a date when the borders will be open to interstate and international travellers (minus the 14-day quarantine) yet Health Minister Natasha Fyles is ruling out any tourists visiting the Territory during our glorious dry season.

She may deny ever saying that but it’s on record, in fact it’s on camera.

If you’re going to repeatedly shut down calls to set a date for borders to be open, at least work out a party line for everyone to spin so we think you’re all on the same page.

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Health Minister Natasha Fyles. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Then there’s the lack of communication from our federal leaders to the territory and state heads.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison reckons state and territory borders should already be open.

“But you know I’m not going to seek to aggravate that situation,” he says.

“I’m concerned about the economic impact, and it’s time to let those borders go down.

“But I’m sure that commonsense will prevail in good enough time.

“The expert medical advice at a national level never recommended internal borders within Australia.”

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt even came out last week saying there is no medical reason for state and territory borders to remain closed.

“At this point, there’ve been no Commonwealth recommendations in favour, there’ve been no national cabinet recommendations in favour and there has been no medical expert panels in favour of state border closures,” Mr Hunt said.

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Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Speaking of national cabinet, borders are obviously the elephant in the room when the group meets and there’s just a lot of border talk behind each other’s backs outside the monthly hook-ups.

Mr Gunner revealed soon after national cabinet was convened that the leaders were in a What’s App group.

But it seems the topic of border closures and caravan emojis haven’t made their way in to these chats.

And who can forget the debacle in the west with the live-sheep export ship, Al Kuwait, that docked in Fremantle with six coronavirus cases on board.

Premier Mark McGowan fronted the media the day the cases were added to the state’s COVID-19 tally saying he’d only just been told about the sick crewmen.

Twitter was then aflutter revealing an email from the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment to the WA Department of Health informing them of possible coronavirus cases on board … wait for it … four days earlier.