Daniel Andrews needs to listen to the voices of the Victorian people

It was disturbing to read John Fergusons’s article about Daniel Andrews protecting his core interest groups while millions of ordinary Victorians who do not have the premier’s ear suffer in silence because there is no alternative (“ALP ‘ring of steel’ protects key seats”, 19/10). The sad part about the mismanagement of the virus by the Victorian Premier is that, as Ferguson implies, the premier basically does not give a stuff about small business. Big business can ride the virus wave out but small business cannot. Andrews and most of his cronies have never had a job in the real world and because of this millions of Victorians are suffering terribly in all facets of human life. The damage he is doing can never be calculated. And come two years time, if he has the gall to be still around those who have been blessed during COVID because of Andrews will vote him back into power. There are none so blind as those who cannot see.

Peter D. Surkitt, Sandringham, Vic

The only way to jolt Daniel Andrews into the real world is to bring this “debate” back to a personal level. Friends of ours in Melbourne have a 94-year-old aunt who can’t drive her car or catch public transport from home in Torquay to their place in East Malvern. It is a task they are prepared to undertake at their own expense free of assistance from any relevant authority (“Doctors question travel curb benefits”, 19/10). But thus far any attempt to obtain the appropriate permits to help their aunt has been an abysmal failure — a disgrace by any measure. It’s plain reckless and demonstrates how Victoria daily moves closer to a dictatorship. There are families all over the state who remain isolated with little chance of reconciliation any time soon.

John Bain, South Bunbury, WA

As your editorial explains, the Victorian government is centralist which is why it is even more unbelievable nobody at the top will reveal who decided to hire incompetent hotel guards which led to most of the 800 coronavirus deaths and subsequent pain, restrictions and costs (“Andrews’ ‘ring of steel’ costs more jobs each day”, 19/10).

What the virus seems to have done is to affect decision makers’ memories. One would think that during his longwinded daily press conferences Daniel Andrews would at least apologise instead of using the bland throwaway line “and our thoughts go out to those families”.

Brian Whybrow, Wanniassa, ACT

Gideon Rozner points out so plainly the strong parallels in the economic devastation suffered in New Zealand and Victoria under governments hellbent on eradication of the virus, while heedless of the collateral damage caused by lockdowns (“Danger across the ditch as incompetent leader wins office”, 19/10).

The problem is that Labor in Australia is celebrating Jacinda Ardern’s victory, so that Daniel Andrews will only be encouraged to persist in blinkered actions which seem vindicated by electoral success. Rozner has, however, neglected one factor which Ardern sees as a crutch, that is her recent flirting with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Thankfully, Victoria will be spared the fate of being sold out to Beijing, as long as the federal government’s FIRB holds firm.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

The only people who have the capacity of curbing the leadership of Daniel Andrews are his Labor Party parliamentary colleagues (“Lockdown city: no freedom yet”, 19/10). Victorian voters have the ultimate power to remove Andrews but they won’t have a say until November 2022. By then it will be too late for the hundreds of thousands of Victorians who have suffered financial ruin and mental illness repercussions.

Victorian state Labor Party parliamentarians need to take control and remove Andrews before it is too late. The future of Victoria as a properly functioning society is at stake.

Riley Brown, Bondi, NSW

Bill Pannell (Letters, 19/10) can’t be serious when he says: “Melbourne represents the pinnacle of medical excellence in this nation and in some instances globally”.

Its infection rates may be better than Europe and Britain, but are embarrassing when compared to the rest of our states and territories. And “carefully controlled”, Victoria has definitely not been able “to sustain minimal damage to . . . the economy”. Far from it.

Ross McDonald, Gordon, ACT