Coronavirus: NSW cabinet divided over go-slow Berejiklian’s lockdown approach
Gladys Berejiklian has flagged tighter Sydney restrictions, despite facing growing pressure from senior members of her government.
Gladys Berejiklian has flagged tighter restrictions across swaths of Sydney in a bid to halt the spread of Covid-19, despite facing growing pressure from senior members of her government over the state’s lockdown strategy.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, one of the NSW Premier’s closest cabinet colleagues, vehemently opposed an extension of Sydney’s two-week lockdown during a crisis meeting on Tuesday, telling officials the community needed to coexist with the virus.
Mr Perrottet, who argued a persisting lockdown would compound business hardship because they did not have access to the federal government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy, is expected to announce an expansion of the state’s existing financial rescue package.
The NSW Treasury expects the cost of the current support package – which provides grants to businesses of up to $10,000 – could cost up to $1.4bn by the end of the three week lockdown on July 16.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Wednesday said the state may need to adjust its approach to the outbreak if the current settings were not effective. The state recorded 27 Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, with seven of those active in the community while infectious.
Nine of the new cases identified had no known source.
“I think at some stage, if the individuals don’t hear (NSW chief health officer) Dr (Kerry) Chant’s message and don’t respond, then at some point we’re going to move to a stage where we are going to have to accept that the virus has a life which will continue in the community,” Mr Hazzard said.
Mr Perrottet, who unsuccessfully lobbied Josh Frydenberg to reintroduce JobKeeper payments for NSW, is expected to extend payments to businesses currently ineligible because they have an annual turnover of less than $75,000
Mr Perrottet is one of five to sit on the state’s crisis cabinet, which is chaired by Ms Berejiklian and attended by Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres and Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello.
Mr Barilaro is understood to have submitted a three-stage proposal to extricate NSW from further lockdowns, which was approved by most ministers present. Stage one of the proposal was to extend the current lockdown, with an easing of restrictions for some sectors and industries to follow. He declined to comment when contacted.
Other suggestions raised within the meeting included three, five and seven day Greater Sydney lockdowns, each of which came with their own restriction criteria.
Some Liberal MPs have written to Ms Berejiklian urging her to rethink the current lockdown settings, given their regions have recorded no Covid-19 cases during the most recent outbreak.
Officials remain particularly concerned for regions of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool, in southwestern Sydney, where cases continue to emerge due in part to noncompliance. Mr Hazzard and Ms Berejiklian singled out these communities, saying police operations would be heightened and warning further restrictions on movement would be taken if case numbers continued to rise and movements were not restricted.
“We’re trying damned hard at the moment to make sure that we can use every effort to suppress that virus – and right now is a critical time … particularly for the community in southwestern Sydney,” Mr Hazzard said.
“Your individual actions may well determine the future of this virus in our community.”
But Australian National University immunologist Peter Collignon said Mr Hazzard should “rephrase” his comments, and Covid-19 could only be left to run once 70-80 per cent of the population had been vaccinated.
“We don‘t want to let it run yet as there are too many people in the community who are unvaccinated,” Professor Collignon said. “I think his comment is not in my view appropriate now but it will be appropriate in six moths time.”
University of NSW infection control specialist Marylouise McLaws said Mr Hazzard’s statement was a “public admission of failure”. “Not going into lockdown early and not giving strong clear messaging about what is essential services and where to wear a mask is to blame,” Professor McLaws said.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters on Wednesday he rejected Mr Perrottet’s JobKeeper request, saying assistance was already being provided in the form of Covid-19 disaster payments, which provide $325 and $500 to workers who have experienced a reduction in working hours due to the pandemic.
“We’re not bringing back JobKeeper,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“That was an emergency support payment that we introduced at the height of the pandemic. We expected there would be further lockdowns and we do have payments available.”
Former families minister Gareth Ward, who left the ministry and now sits on the crossbench after confirming he was at the centre of a police investigation into allegations of sexual violence, on Wednesday said the government should consider exempting his electorate from Covid-19 public health orders.
“When decisions about public health orders are made, not only should the reasons be explained but evidence should also be provided,” the Kiama MP said.
That followed similar comments from Liberal MP James Griffin in a letter to Ms Berejiklian sent on Tuesday requesting Manly and the Northern Beaches local government areas also be carved out of lockdowns.
Among the latest infection sites of concern was Club Marconi, near Fairfield, visited by a Covid-19 case over two days.
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