THE way not to handle a national health emergency is for every politician in the land to all start talking.
What Australians have experienced during the past week has been completely confusing – with mixed messaging and either perceived or actual disunity among government leaders.
At the end of all this Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be left holding the can on Coronavirus. So, in the nation’s interest, every premier, minister and mayor needs to stop talking and to start listening.
By all means hold a national cabinet, twice daily if necessary. The premiers should argue each point as vigorously as they can. But once a decision has been formed by the PM, they need to zip it.
From now on, the Prime Minister announces it and the Premiers implement it, as announced. Otherwise we’ll repeat the reckless dither of last week.
COVID-19 is an international crisis requiring a national response. The person elected to safeguard this nation should be allowed to do the job without being constantly tripped-up.PC
Prime Minister's March 17 announcement
Phase 1 restrictions.
A repeat of the “relentless negativity” directed at Tony Abbott MP from 2009 to 2015: “Lies, fabrications, character assassinations, repetitional rapes, point scoring, axe grinding, sneering, smearing and generalised weaselling have become standard fare in the media.” The Electronic Whorehouse written by Paul Sheehan.
And a reminder about what Prime Minister Tony Abbott said to the media just after he was replaced by Malcolm Turnbull in 2015, he told them to ignore background briefing from people who are not willing to be named as the source of the information. In other words choose to be faceless leakers.