Throughout Australia’s exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic, each state has been pitted against each other by a federal government that has proven to be both incompetent and weak when having to weigh domestic stability with the needs of the increasingly globalised world.
Soon politicians and journalists alike jumped to determine who was responsible for dealing with the crisis.
Almost immediately the government washed its hands of having any control over the virus’ journey to our shores, pawning the issue off to the already unprepared and overextended states to deal with.
Here I automatically remember Scott Morrison’s widely publicised quote “I don’t hold a hose” when explaining why he felt it was acceptable that he went on holiday whilst the rest of the country burned during the 2019 bushfires. The dismissive words designed to explain why it was apparently unnecessary for Morrison to be acting as the leader of the country during a crisis because he wanted to enjoy a holiday.
Now of course any person deserves to have a holiday over Christmas. However this sentiment of not being responsible because an event is out of ones hands just strikes of cowardice.
When a national or international disaster occurs, a leader stands up and acts. They don’t pawn off their responsibilities to others or expect the ordinary rules of every-day life to continue.
Mr Morrison didn’t control the fires, he doesn’t control the virus. What he does control is how he deals with those issues.
Frankly I wonder if he’s in denial about whether or not a leader is meant to lead only when in good times as well as in bad.
The indissoluble federation that is Australia has now become a fragmented and messy group of states, all fighting against each other because the federal government was unable to do one very simple thing. Shut the border.
Now I know that may seem like a controversial suggestion. The economic impacts alone of international border closures have had a devastating impact on the economy.
However, had the borders been closed for an appropriate amount of time at the genesis of the pandemic and then again when our global neighbours uncovered COVID-19’s various and ever-growing number of strains, perhaps we could have been spared a bit of peace.
Perhaps at that point the economy could have had time to improve with a devoted domestic market to devour our wonderful goods and services.
Perhaps the South Australian government could have capitalised on the seemingly defunct #BookThemOut Campaign designed to help the state rebuild following 2020’s devastating Adelaide Hills bushfires.
Instead, here we are nearing the beginning of a New Year wondering exactly what we will be celebrating come midnight on the 31st.
We will all shout ‘Happy New Year’, wishing friends and loved ones well. But I think, the question plaguing everyone’s minds is: will 2022 really be any better?