Perrottet puts a fresh and positive face to reopening

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was appropriately generous in his recognition and praise of the determination and hard work shown by his predecessor, Gladys Berejiklian, in getting Australia’s most populous state on the pathway to a post-Covid reopening. While it might have been Ms Berejiklian who took the risks and made many of the big decisions, on Monday it was Mr Perrottet who got to pose for the cameras for an early morning haircut and pre-lunchtime “freedom-frothy” beer when the end to Sydney’s lockdown arrived.

The changed situation is a measure of the brutality of politics and the ephemeral nature of power. Beyond the trauma of the circumstances surrounding Ms Berejiklian’s departure, however, for the citizens of NSW there is a powerfully redemptive quality to being able to usher in new freedoms with a fresh face and mindset at the helm. It is an experience that carries a message for other jurisdictions that inevitably will follow NSW back to full engagement with other states and the rest of the world.

Mr Perrottet has yet to face his moment of crisis, which no doubt will come, but in the brief period he has been in command he has shown himself to have the qualities of a leader. He must focus these skills on getting schools open and children back into the classroom. Businesses will make their decisions about work arrangements for employees in future, but nothing is more important for parents and children than ensuring the Covid generation can move quickly and safely back from home classes online into the real world.

While some in the media have been distracted by Mr Perrottet’s personal religious convictions, the things that will matter most to citizens of his state have more to do with his ability to deliver on process and to get results. As the rate of vaccinations trends quickly higher, the focus of government has shifted from closing things down to opening them up. The state’s crisis cabinet is fixated on the economic rebound rather than Covid-19 case numbers. Health officials are back to doing what they should be doing, giving fearless advice to elected officials to consider and weigh the risks. It is right to keep a close watch on how the hospital system will be able to cope should there be a spike in cases.

But the emphasis of government must be on speeding things up, refilling the public square, and reuniting families and friends. This includes getting international borders open and giving citizens stranded abroad the opportunity to return home by Christmas at a reasonable cost. Following discussions with Mr Perrottet, Scott Morrison said there was a plan to fast-track international travel. “I know the NSW government is looking at ways to fast-track home quarantine in November, and if that happens we will be able to move to facilitate the opening up of the international border into NSW sooner,” the Prime Minister said on Sunday. It is understood the state could open its borders and transition from hotel quarantine to home quarantine on November 1.

After an extended period of lockdown, for some people at least the pace of change will be difficult. There is wisdom in the strategy of a three-step process adopted by NSW, with freedoms gradually increased as vaccination rates allow. The experience of NSW will be particularly instructive for Victoria, where citizens have endured longer restrictions and reasonably can be expected to feel shell-shocked at their experience. Mr Perrottet and Ms Berejiklian before him have shown the tone of transition can be one of optimism rather than fear. A change of face in NSW has added a new element of putting the past behind.