So your critisizing the premier for not shutting down island borders? Yet pissed off with border controls. Qld is going great guns with the current virus. Our case numbers are no where near the 2 southern states and community spread is under control. Recent polls show great majority of Queenslanders are happy with the border protection. Isnt that the job of a state premier ..to look after their state first? I can understand your frustration but you are just one in many million who is frustrated. Unfortunately this virus is no where near being under control. Check out how the Spanish Flu was handled and the devastating effect it had when people relaxed their attitude to it. I have kids and grandkids in Melbourne and country Victoria . One of them would never survive the virus, because of his medical condition. Qld health is doing a great job and you can rest assured that the islands will receive prompt attention to stop any outbreak. I,d rather be in Qld than NSW or Vic while the virus is still present.
Here is an interesting article on just how important it is to not be in a rush to "get back to normal"..
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-06/victoria-coronavirus-covid-19-lockdown-restrictions-modelling/12633906
The below article captures nicely the arrogance of the Qld Premier.
Tom Marland - food for thought and thought for food
2 September at 05:36 ·
“Only for our people”
I’m a proud Queenslander.
But I am, and always will be, an even prouder Australian.
In 1900, when Sir Henry Parks drafted the rabble of the Australian states together as one Federation - it was the birth of our great country.
Parkes dreamed of a nation united in common purpose, values and shared gain.
In 1915, when young Australians sailed off to Gallipoli and died in foreign trenches they sacrificed under a common flag.
In 1939, when we fought on foreign shores and defended our own island nation against foreign oppressors we did so as Australians - not for our post codes.
I love barracking for Queensland in the state of origin just the same as I barracked for Ricky Ponting scoring a hundred, Ian Thorpe winning gold, Shane Warne turning them square, Lleyton Hewitt fist pumping at the Australian Open, Daniel Ricciardo in the formula one or Des Abbott or Nova Peris in the hockey.
It’s fine to be parochial for your home state but we are all still one people living in a country girt by sea.
No matter what your politics, you can only be ashamed of our Queensland Premier in her handling of the border lock outs in Queensland.
'People living in NSW they have NSW hospitals. In Queensland we have Queensland hospitals for our people,' she said.
We have people from NSW literally dieing because they can’t get access to the closest hospitals which happens to be separated by a line drawn 150 years ago.
We have parents in NSW who can’t bring their kids home from boarding school because the closest schools are in Queensland.
We had, up until a week ago, farmers who couldn't access stock because of a border that has no relevance to their communities.
We have family and businesses separated - not because of the risk of Covid - but because some moron thinks a border is more important than the risk itself.
Victoria has been hard hit by Covid. More accurately Melbourne. There has very few cases let alone deaths outside of the Melbourne metropolis. Despite this, country Victoria is in a draconian lock down that serves little purpose or makes little sense.
NSW or more accurately Sydney has a few clusters. But there has been hardly a case let alone a death north of Newcastle or west of Penrith.
And while our Queensland premier is spruiking bread and circuses over landing the AFL grand final her state and her country weeps.
Our Queensland economy was a basket case prior to Covid and is only now being propped up by Federal Government support - funded by all Australian tax payers.
A true Australian or a politician with half a brain or heart would be offering support to their neighbours while they are suffering - not kicking sand in their eyes for their own political gain.
Queensland has had 1000 Covid cases and 6 deaths. Compare this to Victoria with 20,000 cases and 576 deaths or NSW with 4000 cases and 50 deaths.
It would make sense that those who are outside of Covid hotspots in those states would be allowed entry to Queensland for medical assistance rather than overload an already overloaded system in their own states defined by imaginary lines.
The sad irony is that all state hospitals are funded by our federal government.
The recalcitrance to reason by our Premier is bad enough. But the constant self-interested gloating is both sad and embarrassing.
Actually it’s shameful.
Here would be a real sign of leadership - instead of gloating about “winning” a AFL grand final in Brisbane by default for a sport very few Queenslanders follow yet alone care about - offer all of those tickets and free flights to country Victorians who are outside of the Covid hotspots who live and love and breath AFL.
How about open the borders to kids and parents who live in NSW yet school them in Queensland but pose zero risk to the spread of Covid.
How about offer all of the free beds that are currently in our hospitals set aside for a Covid spike that was never going to happen - to people who need our help, who are outside Covid hotspots but are just unfortunate to live south of our border.
Covid has redefined the world we live in.
Let’s just hope that the silver living is that we will also redefine the Governments we elect to govern us and those imaginary lines drawn 150 years ago.
We are in this together - as one country, as one people.
Let’s never allow lines in the sand to define us again.
In the great words of Sir Henry Parkes:
“In one hand I have a dream, and in the other I have an obstacle. Tell me, which one grabs your attention?”
