Coronavirus: Denigrate and divide a sign of Labor’s despair

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese. Picture: Gaye Gerard

Labor has accused Scott Morrison of being responsible for the loss of Victorian lives and damaging the national economy.

Federal Labor is avoiding criticism of Daniel Andrews’s state government but shifting all blame and responsibility to the Prime Minister and the federal Coalition.

Stepping up the attack on Morrison’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis and specifically the second wave in Victoria, Anthony Albanese and his colleagues have extended allegations of failure, indecision, cover-up, complacency and lack of preparedness beyond the recent aged-care deaths in Melbourne.

Since the weekend, Labor’s criticism of Morrison and the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has spread to delays on pandemic leave payments, failing to “prevent loss of life and an economy-smashing lockdown”, having no plan to deal with 240,000 jobless, being responsible for the Ruby Princess quarantine failure in NSW, failing to help premiers on state border closures, running down superannuation funds and not briefing the Labor opposition on the crisis.

The Opposition Leader launched Labor’s strategy at the weekend aimed at blaming Morrison for the aged-care deaths in Melbourne because the commonwealth is responsible for regulation of the sector and the “buck stops with the Prime Minister”.

Since then, he has broadened his claims to include a failure of the commonwealth to provide protective wear for aged-care workers, not preparing the Victorian aged-care sector for the virus and being too slow in creating a paid pandemic leave to encourage sick workers not to go to work.

Tony Burke was blunt on Tuesday: “This federal payment has come too late to prevent loss of life and an economy-smashing lockdown. If Mr Morrison had listened five months ago, this second wave may have been far less severe.”

Albanese made the point that “paid pandemic leave is meant to prevent an outbreak” and said Morrison had been too slow.

Jim Chalmers said the Morrison government was not ready to help 240,000 jobless Australians and Kristina Keneally forcefully revisited her criticism of the federal authorities’ involvement in the Ruby Princess quarantine failure that devastated NSW.

Albanese wants to sheet home blame for coronavirus control failures to Morrison on all fronts and specifically avoids criticising any premier or Territory leader.

Politicising the pandemic by drawing distinctions between state and federal responsibility and seeking to denigrate and divide the unity of the national cabinet is Labor’s attempt to regain political momentum after months of being sidelined by COVID-19, Morrison, health advice and the stature of the premiers. The commitment from so many Labor frontbenchers is an indication of how desperate the ALP is to peg back Morrison.