Originally Posted by
DirectAnywhere
Sigh....what a small, frightened, insular, parochial nation we’ve been revealed to be.
PM doesn’t trust the science of vaccines and all of a sudden the conservative side of politics is willing to sacrifice personal freedom on the altar of electoral convenience because they can’t reframe the messaging around the risk of a vaccinated population.
He’s also been backed into a corner by the embarrassing backlash and subsequent backflip on arrivals from India.
Retail spending is high? Sure, on products designed and manufactured overseas. Gerry Harvey is making a few bucks but the rest of the money disappears overseas. Services sector (particularly education/ tourism) still devastated.
The PM is a follower, not a leader, and has been thoroughly outthought and outmanoeuvred by the supposed dullards in the room in the state leaders, leaving him with no alternative except to keep the country indefinitely closed off from the rest of the world.
I wouldn’t have believed it possible even four months ago when the vaccine rollout started.
Total spending in Australia is higher than it would be with open borders, not just retail spending. The only industries truly suffering are international airlines and the travel agencies and airlines have the benefit of stand down and government handouts so they’re doing better than their international competitors. The vast majority of other industries have adapted and are having a great time. Those that were unable to adapt have already failed.
What would be a disaster is if Covid got into our society now. Surely you can see that.