Three entirely unrelated bits of information that don’t involve the Eden-Monaro by-election, for which another dedicated post is assuredly not far away (the most recent, and its attendant discussion thread, is here):
• This week’s Essential Research poll looks at indigenous issues and gender equality, finding broadly liberal viewpoints prevailing in each case. On the former count, most agreed that indigenous Australians and Pacific islanders had been “forced to work in Australia in conditions that amounted to slavery”, but 42% agreed that “many of the new cases of Covid-19 in Victoria have been from people who attended the Black Lives Matter protest” compared with 37% who believed it to be false. On gender equality, majorities somehow managed to agree both that there was “still a long way to go” and that it had “already been mostly achieved”, though a lot more emphatically in the former case. Respondents were also asked who got paid too much (bankers and lawyers) and too little (nurses and teachers).
• Tom Richardson of InDaily reports on an imminent package of electoral reform in South Australia, which may include the introduction of optional preferential voting. Labor leader Peter Malinauskas has accused Premier Steven Marshall of a move to “rig the next election”, and invoked the bogey of “the polarisation of our democracy in the way we have seen in the United States”. Malinauskas’s real concern is more likely to do with Greens preferences, the system having raised no such concerns for the Labor governments that introduced them in New South Wales and Queensland, back when its main impact was to weaken intra-Coalition preference flows in three-cornerned contests. The Greens have also declared their opposition, which would leave its upper house fate in the hands of the three survivors of the Nick Xenophon disturbance. The government’s reforms may also include crackdowns on corflutes (which seem to be particularly popular in South Australia) and dissemination of how-to-vote cards at polling booths.
• Justin Hendry of IT News reports the Australian Electoral Commission is looking into a full rollout of the electronic certified list system for marking off voters, which operated at around 10% of polling places at last year’s election. This replaces the more familiar method of paper lists marked off by pencil, which offer no guarantee the prospective voter has not already voted somewhere else beyond the requisite verbal assurance. As such, it can genuinely help prevent multiple voting, unlike a lot of other supposed electoral reforms that are invoked in its name. However, it may also constitute a point of vulnerability to nefarious actors.
It’s disconcerting that some states are reopening borders based on the assumption that there is no community spread. With the movement between Vic and NSW during a period that Vic had low spread it is likely that cases will pop up in NSW and Qld.
I am very happy that WA is maintaining its borders and hope that the NT doesn’t present a portal for spread through our isolated communities to the north. It would be very hard to shut down all the entrances to WA overland.
‘ Godless’ is better nath IMO.
PS . just backed ‘drain the swamp’ race 4 at Ballarat. It won. Steak tonight.
Guardian
So hopefully the dopey Australians who haven’t taken this plagues infectious nature seriously might do so now …or maybe they won’t. 🙁
Gee, to think most of the UK has been locked down for over 12 weeks until recently, some others locked in cruise ships, below decks for weeks at a time, and here are a small group are inconvenience for perhaps a week.
Meanwhile a stack of people in the US, Brazil, Mexico – die – and some here see this as the first few days of a local Black Death.
Cynically I see it as partisan mischief making…….mainly from some of our friends on the Green side, but mostly from the far left of the Green side and the looney left of the Green side…….
The beauty of the Green position is knowing whatever they come up with – for good or bad – they are highly unlikely to ever be in a position to actually have to put any kind of policy in place………….
Andrews should resign over the gross incompetency of his government to maintain a suitable quarantine. OC has in detail how this occurred. The use of nightclub bouncers to control quarantined hotels compared to the NSW arrangements demonstrates incredible stupidity.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/department-apologises-for-delays-in-getting-food-to-tower-residents-20200707-p559ok.html
“The Department of Health and Human Services has apologised for delays in getting donated food and supplies to more than 3000 public housing residents in hardline lockdowns.”
“Three days after the lockdown was announced, Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp has moved to ensure donations will be delivered to tower residents on Tuesday afternoon.”
Nath should stop being stalker fan Andrews.
I bet Detention Center guards from Sirco can do better job by putting the residents in Detention Centers?
Beemer
😆
There you go projecting your views onto mine.
All I said is wait for the whining from Toorak if you think public housing tenants whine.
😆
Yet you say that’s arguing against measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Guytaur
I fail to see why you single that suburb out when all of Victoria has already been in lockdown but you only bring it up because you read it on twitter.
Pegasus: “That’s your reading of it. Please provide evidence to support this claim. The Greens, myself and others have made no comment about re-opening the towers.”
Well here is a quote from Adam Bandt.
“People in public housing are being treated differently to how everyone else has been treated in this country. They are now subject to restrictions that no one else has been subject to, and I’m yet to hear a convincing explanation about why this hasn’t also been the restrictions imposed in other private residences.”
Now this comment could be interpreted as Bandt saying that the restrictions on the towers are too harsh and should be loosened to the level applied elsewhere (which would effectively mean reopening the towers to enable people to shop, go to work, etc.)
Alternatively, it could be read as saying that equally harsh restrictions should be put on other Victorians, even though they aren’t necessary, just in the interests of fairness.
Either option is a stupid argument, so I don’t much care which it is.
The Victorian Government has presumably placed harsh restrictions on the tower blocks because they are a hotbed of coronavirus spread, and the restrictions would appear to be the best way of getting it under control. The Greens should back the authorities here: I am quite sure this was not a political decision by the Andrews Government, so why play politics with it?
And you must be aware that I’m no great fan of how Andrews has handled COVID-19 up to now, but fair’s fair.
I doubt this will be enough to convince some people that the virus can get out of control silently and quickly. Whatever the mistakes of the Victorian government, it’s easier to just keep on attacking them, rather than recognise that:
– Exponential growth is real,
– Direct observation is insufficient,
– Basing our actions on worst case modelling and projections is necessary, and
– We have to actively maintain different behaviours to keep the virus in check.
What happened in Victoria could easily happen anywhere if just one person with the virus gets out into a community (that is going by old behaviours) undetected. Don’t forget the rest of the country is currently returning to a number of those pre-covid behaviours.
It’s official.
The Informal Party beat Bandt’s Greens in Eden Monaro.
I hope that the Victorians get on top of this pronto.
I hope that there is not another case in the rest of Australia.
I hope that we stop taking any more inbound internationals: as Victoria has demonstrated the risks are not worth taking for the tiny benefits involved.
Beemer
😆
If you think comparing comparing public housing tenants to Toorak only came about because of twitter I have some news for you.
BTW can I interest you in a bridge its very nice. It spans a harbour.
DisplayName
Exactly and the residents of the towers usually use public transport with their tram routes being among Melbourne’s more important routes that could spread this virus cross town very easily.
Reading the media today one gets the impression that somehow the virus is to be defeated without inconveniencing anybody. People in general need to acknowledge that there are always people worse off and just be grateful. If people want to whine about something it should be the media constant harping on what’s wrong and whose slighted instead of encouraging the conversation around how to help and support the efforts.
As for means of control, Richo’s maxim applies in spades: whatever it takes.
Quite a few Victorian number platted cars have turned up this week along the north coast of NSW.
They can go no further as the Qld border is closed.
I hope they have not unintentionally brought the virus.
Dear old Gladys and her Liberal gang have been a bit slow to take control.
Guytaur
Toorak started trending on twitter after the towers lockdown was announced then you come here raising it.
nath @ #2782 Tuesday, July 7th, 2020 – 2:12 pm
I think the incredible stupidity lies with the staff who ignored social distancing
Rakali
NSW would be wanting to pop all Victorians in NSW to the front of the testing queue.
The Virus Commandments.
THOU SHALT NOT SWIM THE MURRAY.
Has Bandt offered to stand down from the Greens Party leadership because of his Eden Monaro FAIL?
Beemer
That’s because it’s a common comparison
Also there is nothing wrong with twitter. It’s more reliable and informative than the Mainstream media.
You get the direct comments of people like politicians and activists instead of a journalists interpretion of them.
boerwar @ #2790 Tuesday, July 7th, 2020 – 2:21 pm
Has McBain declared all gun laws should be relaxed yet ?
The Victorians are experiencing what the denizens of Lucknow experienced.
The besieged were relieved but the relief force was in turn trapped in besieged Lucknow.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Lucknow
The Liberals and the Greens are on the same page with the same old same old vicious lies.
Can’t help themselves. In Eden Monaro, for once, they could not even help each other.
The liberals are shocking stupid.
Tim Smith MP
@TimSmithMP
We are the pariahs of Australia. Exiled from our own country. Locked down, locked out – a national embarrassment, why ? Because a second wave of Covid-19 started becuase Andrews stuffed up hotel quarantine, used untrained bouncers, not the ADF, and the virus took off again…
Guytaur
Twitter is fine but it would be better if it got rid of all the nasties.
boerwar @ #3321 Tuesday, July 7th, 2020 – 2:28 pm
With the low water temperature and strong flows it could easily be the last thing one did do.
Time for another BLM protest in Melbourne – you know it makes sense.
BW, I think you are being too harsh on Adam Bandt – he’s just trying to be helpful…..
Unless it is eradicated, there will be intermittent outbreaks like this Victorian one anywhere in the country. If the policy is only “suppression” there will always be the need for hyper vigilance with periodic lockdowns, quarantine and mobilisation of resources and staff to contain it.
It will be difficult for the population to maintain this hyper vigilance and eventually it is likely one breakout will become very difficult or impossible to contain.
Elimination should become the policy for a period with the concerted aim to destroy the virus within the boundaries of the country.
This will free up the population to get on with their divinely ordained duty to consume, consume, consume. 🙂
Room rating Bandt’s office
Not bad, plenty of light but could do with some books and better art. 6/10
boerwarsays:
Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at 2:23 pm
I hope that the Victorians get on top of this pronto.
I hope that there is not another case in the rest of Australia.
I hope that we stop taking any more inbound internationals: as Victoria has demonstrated the risks are not worth taking for the tiny benefits involved.
________________________________
No,
The first learning is that you don’t quarantine anybody in a major city…
The second learning is that once this is brought under control, vigilance and mass batch testing will be the only way to ensure that the numbers are zero.
It seems that the main cohort of infections has moved down to the middle aged rather than the elderly. I suggest that this shows who is taking the danger seriously.
There is certainly a problem with the way the media reports on Andrews.
A reminder. Every article that demands Daniel Andrews political fate alone rests on how he handles the pandemic is ignoring we have a Prime Minister.
“ However, a good show I can recommend is Yellowstone on Stan starring Kevin Costner.”
It is awesome. However, like Sons of Anarchy (same producers) none of the main protagonists are particularly likeable. All stone cold killers.
I see the NSW Police Minister can’t contain his idiocy any longer…
Buce
Outside wearing a mask you are 20% less likely to catch the virus, than inside a pub or restaurant.
Nice try.
Such a pity that submarines will be of no use for state border controls. 😉
The Liberals have a hide criticising Mr Andrews. They should be complimenting him for following their play book.
He did what they demand all Governments do: outsource to a private sector whose will cut costs as far as possible as their only aim is profit.
Jim Chalmers..
Reserve Bank statement says our economy “is experiencing the biggest contraction since the 1930s”, “the nature and speed of the economic recovery remains highly uncertain” and “it is likely that fiscal and monetary support will be required for some time” #auspol #ausecon
The liberals are sulking about their by-election loss.
The liberals never forgive Victorians for loosing the state election.
Lizzie
They can use them in the Murray River.
Not surprisingly the loudest critics of Andrews here were all but mute when the cruise ship turned up in Sydney and disgorged its clear and infected passengers on Circular Quay. NSW government, Dutton, Great White Father Morrison were all totally mute, or furiously pointing fingers everywhere else.
I am surprised LNP supporters are as vocal as they are now, as it was only a few weeks ago, GWF made it plain – several times if I remember correctly – that there would be quite a few regional breakouts of CV9. So either his insight – from wherever – was correct or he is just a phoney as many here see him for……
Because there is so much water there?