‘Cautious pause’ last straw for Andrews’ wasteland

A “cautious pause’’, as Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews claimed? No way. His decision to delay relaxing restrictions is paralysis by diktat. The shutdown is costing $100m a day in lost GDP, 1200 jobs a day and $200m a day in federal taxpayer support. The cost to personal relationships, mental health and young people’s prospects is almost incalculable. After months of lockdown, most of it out of all proportion to the state’s COVID-19 situation, Sunday’s announcement has reinforced Melburnians’ deep economic and social funk. From the Morrison government to struggling businesses to Mr Andrews’ former health minister, Jenny Mikakos, the angry response to the delay, when Victoria’s seven-day average of new infections stands at 4.6, is palpable. Critics, including Scott Morrison, Josh Frydenberg and Health Minister Greg Hunt, point out Victoria’s public health systems “are either up to the task of dealing with future outbreaks or they are not. The decision to keep businesses closed suggests that there is still not sufficient confidence within the government that their systems can support reopening”.

That is a reasonable deduction. But Mr Andrews rejects it as “completely wrong’’. Questioned on Sunday about why NSW was able to remain open for months with a daily average of more than 10 new cases, at times he dodged the issue. His refusal to address the issue was inexcusable. If, as he claims, Victoria’s contact tracing process is up to the mark, and he has no doubts about it, his penchant for battening down our second-largest city can only be explained by his “command and control’’ centralist ideology.

But the lesson of recent months is big government is not necessarily better or safer. Nor can there be much doubt, as traders from the stylish Chapel Street precinct say, that the Andrews government does “not have business’ best interests at heart”. Mr Andrews has moved the goalposts, which was “shattering for businesses struggling to hold on’’, Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp pointed out. The decision is especially harsh on the hospitality sector, which regards the delay as a “betrayal’’. Likewise the retail sector, for which hope has again turned to despair. Jennifer Westacott, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, is correct when she says “we cannot go on like this … people are at a financial and mental breaking point”. It is inexplicable, as Ms Westacott says, that a state with comparable or lower case numbers than NSW cannot adopt the same best-practice system used in NSW and implement that state’s methods to contain local outbreaks.

Nobody is taking the pandemic lightly, especially on a day when Johns Hopkins University data showed a record 506,000 new infections across the world in 24 hours. Nor are business leaders or anyone else advocating a reckless, unsafe rush back to normality. To the contrary, living with localised outbreaks such as that in Melbourne’s northern suburbs will be fundamental to maintaining recovery when the state economy is finally opened up. When it does, Victorians cannot afford for Mr Andrews to panic and fold the state inward again at the first setback.

On Sunday, Mr Andrews cited pending results from 1000 COVID tests from Melbourne’s northern suburbs as his reason to retain restrictions. Of seven new cases in the state, six have been linked to the northern suburbs outbreaks and the other is a health worker. Based on experience in NSW, it should be manageable and containable, although there is no room for complacency. Later on Sunday, 1135 tests linked to that outbreak were returned negative. The 2500 swabs processed on Sunday confirmed three cases at the East Preston Islamic School. On those results, Mr Andrews should revisit the broader issue on Monday and announce a major reopening. As the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and Mr Hunt point out, at some point, “you have to move forward and put your public health systems to work in a bid to reclaim the jobs … lost, and rescue the livelihoods and peace of mind of so many Victorians … affected by the inability to contain the outbreak that led to the second Victorian wave”.

The national interest is also at stake. As Rosie Lewis reports, direct federal support for Victoria is set to reach $75bn, or a third of the total national COVID-19 payments so far. That compares with just $10bn in committed support from the Andrews government. After watching their beloved AFL grand final between two Victorian teams played 1770km away at the Gabba, Victorians will also watch on television as Derby Day, the Melbourne Cup, Oaks Day and Stakes Day are staged without racegoers. The silence in the home straight will not be as deafening as the quiet despair of Melburnians learning on Sunday that their deprivations are to continue, for a few days more, barring fresh excuses from Mr Andrews. Delays, maybes and apologies do not excuse Victoria’s failure to manage local outbreaks, as Ms Westacott says. It is taking too long and too much is being lost.