Colleagues must stand up to Andrews over lockdown

Once again Victorians are suffering the consequences of the Andrews government’s incompetence. This time the contact tracing system has let us down, with different people managing a large infected family. As a consequence of inconsistent advice an infectious student was sent to school. This has led us to a new cluster in the northern suburbs and again we are continuing our lockdown — when we should be free.

That the adversely affected part of society is objecting to the lockdown extension is very understandable. Social and financial consequences for the extended shutdown are not justifiable when competent governments elsewhere in Australia have managed similar situations without lockdowns.

What immediate consequences will this government suffer? There are not any, apart from vocal opposition. Daniel Andrews will undoubtedly ride this out and continue on his incompetent way.

Should private industry fail repeatedly in this way there would be substantial and immediate consequences. In any normal Westminster-based government Andrews would demonstrate accountability for his failures and resign now.

Stephen Clarke, Kew, Vic

The first Europeans arrived in Victoria in 1803 to establish a convict settlement. Fast forward 217 years and nothing has changed. Yet unlike sentenced criminals who have a release date, Melburnians are seemingly locked up indefinitely.

It is clear Daniel Andrews is bereft of any new ideas or more sophisticated concepts to handle the pandemic. His only strategy is endless lockdown — an approach described by WHO as being without merit.

Andrews will go down in history as the most ineffectual leader in our political history. But the only negative for him is reputational damage. For the people of Victoria, and Melbourne in particular, it is so much worse. It is time Andrews and the amnesic incompetents we saw give “evidence” to the Coate inquiry go — and, for the good of all Victorians, go now.

Ian T. Jones, Elsternwick, Vic

Melbourne’s paramount health crisis now is mental health rather than COVID. In this lengthy second lockdown I know no one who knows anyone in Melbourne who has caught the virus, but I know four people who have spoken of their mental health struggles. Only one of these has mentioned mental health issues before.

The Premier has said he is only focused on fighting the virus. Victorians need senior ministers to stand up to the one-dimensional Premier and say this is a multi-dimensional problem, with mental health being one of the key dimensions (livelihoods another). I urge the Premier to take a targeted approach to the remaining COVID cases and lift restrictions elsewhere.

David Cowie, Middle Park, Vic

In “Empathy missing as we need it most” (24-25/10), Katrina Grace Kelly says many Victorians find the urging to open up “frightening” and like “an attempt to sabotage our hard work”. Yet it is not the Victorian people who are the subject of criticism on how the pandemic is being handled, it is their government’s response and missteps, which have produced not only hundreds of unnecessary deaths, but the trashing of freedoms and social interaction in their lives.

Kelly says up “until now, politics has been all about the economy” but “public health takes a higher priority”. This characterises the economy as having nothing to do with public health, whereas it is having a growing and hugely concerning effect on public health as businesses are forced to close and employees lose their jobs, as cases of mental health grow daily, and suicide numbers grow.

The eventual lifting of lockdown restrictions will be greeted by most Victorians with joy and relief.

Michael Wills, Armadale, Vic

By describing those calling for an easing of restrictions as lacking empathy and emotional IQ, Katrina Grace Kelly resorts to the common attack of our times, namely, playing the man. Where Kelly argues for a binary choice — health or the economy — others understand there are many competing interests to be balanced in managing the risk of COVID-19. Kelly is wrong to say such people lack empathy or are lesser human beings. The distress in the community is real. Many people with high EQ “get it”, but see the solution as being more nuanced than lockdown.

Joanna Wriedt, Eaglemont, Vic