Corona Virus / COVID-19 Centrelink queue, Midland Picture: Simon Santi The West Australian
The actions of the Australian and state governments have been piss weak and woeful; reflecting their slavish worship of the policies and measures of both the old colonial master, the UK and the present master, the USA. It also reflects their anti-science ethos, which has also stalled progress on combating climate change and throttled the development of science and research in Australia.
Its obvious that governments were listening to the Business Council of Australia who wanted business as usual while their executives quickly opted to work from home.
While other countries acted to take strong measures to protect the people and control the spread. The speed and determination of the Chinese authorities was notable – building a temporary hospital in Wuhan for 10,000 people in ten days. We had words endlessly about expert advice. Many other experts said go early and shut down.
In NSW, public schools were left adrift. Many schools had no soap or towels for students in toilets and were without hand sanitiser. School cleaning which is run by el-cheapo contract cleaning companies which struggled to clean the schools to any standard with fewer staff and reduced hours. Meanwhile, in the Parramatta head office of the NSW Department of Education (a student free zone) there were bottles of sanitiser while the assistant directors and top flunkeys worked from the safety of home. When parents kept their children at home, the vast inequities that exist between the ( bloated and tax-payer funded) private schools quickly came apparent. On-line learning for students without home computers, internet or just poor access (on the Turdball variation of the NBN) is a very poor substitute for school based education.
Parliaments went to skeleton staff then went into recess until August. The members keeping safe on full salaries and fat allowances.
At first, Australians returning here from China, were sent to Christmas Island for quarantine. This was Dutton’s message of love. These people had a deep understanding of contagion. They brought in masks and sanitiser to keep safe for the coming plague. Later in airports and ports, people were wandering in from the USA and cruise liners were asked to self- isolate before they boarded taxis and planes for their destinations. Border Force is proven tough on poor witless refugees in little wooden boats but missing in action with big cruise ships full of Yank tourists.
Centrelink (not so much a social security service as an Inquisition to torture pensioners, people on disability or the “undeserving” jobless) was completely unable to cope on line or in person with huge lines outside their offices.
The NSW Premier and PM struggled to hold the line against and onslaught of public anger and contrary views from experts. Trust dissolved as people panicked and stripped shops bare. They knew it was coming and that the governments were doing nothing except talking.
Frydenberg, on message spouted TEAM AUSTRALIA -working together. It could have been a bad parody of South Park but no, this was Australia in 2020 with mickey mouse governments.
We’ll see who gets looked after and who is abandoned.
