Political attacks are compromising COVID-19 public health response measures in Victoria

Australia has been relatively successful so far in minimising COVID-19 infections and deaths compared with many other countries. Here are comparative stats to date:

Source: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Source: https://ourworldindata.org/

New Zealand has succeeded in eliminating COVID-19 community transmission at this point in time.

Australia was initially successful in suppressing, but not eliminating, the virus.  However, a significant outbreak occurred in Victoria around 24 June 2020, with daily cases still over 400 as at 8 July 2020. 

Reasons for this second outbreak include:

• Private security guards spreading COVID-19 from quarantined returned travellers to the community (an Inquiry is in place to investigate this)
• Outbreaks in some meat processing facilities.
• Outbreaks in aged care facilities - apparently partly due to lowly paid casual workers getting infected and moving between facilities.  Aged care is a federal government responsibility.

Significant interventions to reduce community transitions include:

• Lockdown of several suburbs with high community transmission
• Lockdown some community housing hotspots for 2 weeks
• Stage 3 Lockdown of Greater Melbourne and Mitchell council areas
• Stage 4 Lockdown of Greater Melbourne and Geelong Council areas and Stage 3 Lockdown of the rest of Victoria (current situation)

See Victoria's restriction levels for more information 

Premier Dan Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, along with selected government ministers and other senior public servants, provide daily updates on cases, deaths and public health measures.

Questions are asked by media representatives at these updates. Some choose to abuse this privilege by repeatedly asking the same question (e.g. about the failure to contain the virus in hotel quarantine) and they do this in an aggressive manner.  The main offender is Rachel Baxendale of the Murdoch owned Australian newspaper.

Wall of shame

These questions align with ongoing criticism of public health response measures (including lockdowns) and personal attacks on both Dan Andrews and Brett Sutton by current and former Liberal MPs. Here are the offenders:

• Scott Morrison (Prime Minister)
• Tim Smith (State MP, Kew)
• Georgie Crozer (State, Southern Metropolitan Region)
• Michael O'Brien (State, Opposition leader)
• Jeff Kennett (Former Premier)
• Tim Wilson (Federal, Goldstein)
• Josh Frydenberg (Federal Treasurer, Kooyong)
• Peter Dutton (Federal, QLD)
• Gladys Berejiklian (NSW Premier)
• David Davis (State, Southern Metropolitan Region)
• Katie Allen (Federal, Prahran)
• Sarah Henderson (Federal, Victorian Senator)
• Tony Abbott (ex Prime Minister)
• Greg Hunt (Federal, Flinders)
• Allan Tudge (Federal, Aston)
• Bridget Mackenzie (Federal, Victorian Senator)
• David Southwick (State, Caulfield)
• David Sharma (Federal, Wentworth)
• Edward O'Donohue (State, Eastern Victoria)
• David Van (Senator, Victoria)

Reactionary commentators also attacking Dan Andrews and public health response measures include:

• Andrew Bolt (Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Ray Hadley (2GB radio in Sydney. owned by Nine Entertainment Co.)
• Alan Jones (Skynews, Murdoch owned)
• Rachel Baxendale (Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Sophie Elsworth (Newscorp, Murdoch owned)
• Adam Creighton (Economics editor, The Australian, Murdoch owned)
• Rita Panahi (Opinion writer, Heraldsun, Murdoch owned)
• Alex White (news.com.au, Murdoch owned)
• Sophie Smith (independent sports journalist)
• Philip Coorey (Australian Financial Review)
• Chris Uhlmann (Nine News)
• Peta Credlin (Sky news, Murdoch owned)
• Joe Hildebrand (Daily Telegraph, Murdoch owned)
• Leigh Sales (7:30 Report, ABC). 

I am an emergency services volunteer. We don't start reviewing mistakes halfway through a job, we don't challenge the leadership, we get on with the job.  Afterwards there is a formal debrief. 

This "holding to account" nonsense by some journalists and self-serving members of parliament is a coordinated campaign to attack Dan Andrew's leadership for political gain.

In doing so they give out mixed messages that undermine public health response measures and the leadership required to deal with the incredibly infectious and sometimes lethal COVID-19 pandemic.

I call on the people named above to stop their coordinated campaign to tear down Dan Andrews that is putting Australians in harm's way. 

I also call on Scott Morrison to put a stop to this too.