NZ opening up - slooooooowly

[minigundiplomat]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-03/jacinda-ardern-announces-new-plan-to-open-nz-to-the-world/100800682

seriously? October before non-visa holders can enter NZ. Makes McGowan look reckless

[KRviator]

Not at all. She's set a date at least - McGowan won't even do that. Last I heard was when 80% of everyone over 12 has had their 138th booster shot, and even then he'll probably push it back further. I genuinely wonder if he'll even still be their State Daddy when the border's reopen...

[vne165]

McGowan is in big trouble. The tide has turned against him, his goose is well and truly cooked, basted in a petard all of his own making.
He need's to set a date and stick to it.

Meantime, a report in the Oz this morning detailing 4 out of 5 Covid positive people recently tested on the Gold Coast had no symptoms at all.
This is what we're hiding from. Amazing.

[Gne]

positive people recently tested on the Gold Coast had no symptoms at all. This is what we're hiding from. Amazing.

Reports from associates on site in Kiribati are that random testing there is showing the same - positive but asymptomatic.

Gne

[Torukmacto]

Only thing we got to fear is fear itself .

Said by a smart person ?

[tartare]

Ardern looked like a scared possum at the announcement this morning.
Her reputation has taken a smashing in international media over the last 72 hours.
I'll be heading over the dutch in late March when they reduce the iso time to 7 days - but even that's unnecessary now.
And I'll sure as hell be voting blue at the next NZ election - Labour are utterly useless.

[Chris2303]

And I'll sure as hell be voting blue at the next NZ election - Labour are utterly useless.

And you think that Nats/ACT are any better?

[BuzzBox]

McGowan is in big trouble. The tide has turned against him, his goose is well and truly cooked, basted in a petard all of his own making.

According to whom? The polls show the majority of West Australians agree with his decision; it's a vocal minority who are complaining. He certainly doesn't care a jot what people outside of WA think, and why should he?

[vne165]

Buzz, believe the polls if you want. I am on the ground, talking to many, many people.
The evidence is clear, and the drums are beating within the Labor party.
And whether or not he cares what folks think outside of WA is irrelevant.

He's wedged himself securely between his broken promise to re-open and his claim the health care system can cope.
A point deftly made by Scotty from marketing this morning.

[Chad Gates]

He’s lost those who want the borders open, and he’ll lose those that want it kept shut, when he inevitably opens it. Political rookie. He will have very little support, and realistically, he’s got no choice.

sorry, this is supposed to be about the Kiwis

[KRviator]

He certainly doesn't care a jot what people outside of WA think, and why should he?We already know that, but to answer your question, because, whether he likes it or not, WA is still part of the Federation. At least for now. As a former pusser, he should know that better than anyone. It ain't the Queensland Defence Force, or the Western Australian Defence Force is it? There's a nation and he's part of it, yet his inflammatory rhetoric is doing more harm than good to it.

Perhaps Scotty would have had the borders opened last year if he pulled everyone out of Fleet Base West & Pearce and redeployed them to the East coast...I'd imagine flogging off the land would've raised a few quid that could offset the budget deficit, even though he now appears to have changed his tune since he realised he needs those pesky WA votes to try to stay in power beyond May..

[Potsie Weber]

There are a variety of polls showing very different results. Just Google “WA border poll” and you will see. AMA poll of 1500 members had a slight majority for opening up. Pretty obvious there is growing concern over McGowans credibility. The media are finally putting a bit of pressure on him and his scare tactics. His misrepresentation of facts is becoming more obvious and under more scrutiny. The guy is a dullard, even admitting he had to get his teenage son to set up his Service WA app. Maybe he should get his son to run the health system.

[WingNut60]

Buzz, believe the polls if you want. ...........
Why would you do that when you can just read the West Australian!

[tartare]

And you think that Nats/ACT are any better?

At least the Nats have some people in the shadow Cabinet who actually have prior experience in running things.
The Labour cabinet are a freaking joke.
Robertson's the only one with an ounce of common sense.

[BuzzBox]

Buzz, believe the polls if you want. I am on the ground, talking to many, many people...He's wedged himself securely between his broken promise to re-open and his claim the health care system can cope.
A point deftly made by Scotty from marketing this morning.

I'm willing to bet the polls are a more representative cross-section of the community than your so-called "many, many people". Interestingly, you failed to mention that Morrison this morning claimed that McGowan did the right thing in delaying the state’s border reopening:
Scott Morrison’s huge call on West Australian border (https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/scott-morrisons-huge-call-on-west-australian-border/news-story/fdd074fc53f85ce4fe253d519d391c03)

Where's your evidence the drums are beating within the Labor party?

...whether he likes it or not, WA is still part of the Federation.

Since when do any of the state premiers act in the best interests of the Federation in preference to the perceived interests of their own state? Rightly or wrongly, none of them do. Ever.

There are a variety of polls showing very different results...AMA poll of 1500 members had a slight majority for opening up...The guy is a dullard, even admitting he had to get his teenage son to set up his Service WA app...

The AMA WA is hardly a representative cross-section of the community. Nevertheless, opinions within the AMA WA were fairly evenly split. In response to the question "Do you think WA should have 'opened up' on 5 Feb", 50.5 per cent voted that WA should have opened up on 5 Feb, while 49.5 per cent voted against. Interestingly, another question in the same poll asked "Which option do you support in regard to WA opening up?". Some 51.2 per cent said that WA should set a target date in the near future, not coincident with the winter illness peak, while only 35.7 per cent said that WA should open on 5 Feb. A separate poll conducted by Painted Dog Research for The West Australian showed that 71 per cent of those polled in the community were in favour of McGowan's decision, with 29 per cent opposed.

McGowan is not the only official to have made similar comments about setting up the Service WA app. It has been widely criticised as too complicated, because for security purposes it relies on the user having a MyGovID account, something that has been problematic for a lot of people. I believe it was the Police Commissioner who first made the comment, when he said in jest that people should perhaps try asking a 16-year old to set it up, because they are generally more adept than most at using screen technology.

[minigundiplomat]

Good to see a NZ thread become an Australian extension of the ‘all borders to reopen’ thread.

[BuzzBox]

Good to see a NZ thread become an Australian extension of the ‘all borders to reopen’ thread.

Is that a surprise, given that you injected 'McGowan' into the first post of the thread?

[minigundiplomat]

Is that a surprise, given that you injected 'McGowan' into the first post of the thread?

as a comparison, not a subject header.

[SHVC]

NZ could open fully, WA could open fully either way air travel demand is lower than ever. We have been sent of forced leave, multiple shifts canned as of now the airports in ML and SY are empty as.

[minigundiplomat]

NZ could open fully, WA could open fully either way air travel demand is lower than ever. We have been sent of forced leave, multiple shifts canned as of now the airports in ML and SY are empty as.

sorry to hear that mate. By way of consolation we seem to be nearing the endgame, and McGowan and St Jacinda seem be the laggards.

[KRviator]

Since when do any of the state premiers act in the best interests of the Federation in preference to the perceived interests of their own state? Rightly or wrongly, none of them do. Ever.I'd have to disagree with you on that one. Gladys was more than happy to bring in thousands of returning citizens a week through NSW, with the attendant risk that entailed to her state. She didn't shutdown international arrivals like Victoria did, when they had their outbreak. She didn't cry like a petulant child and demand her state arrivals cap be halved, then halved again like McGowan did.

She's certainly not without fault, and I'm still not sold she didn't know what her dodgy bed-buddy was up to, but in terms of a Covid response, she at least tried to keep things going for the country. Where would we be if Gladys did a McGowan or Anna-Stayaway and shut NSW off to the rest of the world, given nearly 50% of all returning arrivals came through Sydney and god-only-knows the percentage of airfreight?

[BuzzBox]

...she at least tried to keep things going for the country. Where would we be if Gladys did a McGowan or Anna-Stayaway and shut NSW off to the rest of the world, given nearly 50% of all returning arrivals came through Sydney and god-only-knows the percentage of airfreight?

Wow, she took one for the team, all for the sake of the 'Federation'. God bless her cotton socks...:rolleyes:

[Lapon]

According to whom? The polls show the majority of West Australians agree with his decision; it's a vocal minority who are complaining.

But West Australians dont believe in daylight savings either, it doesnt mean they are right though :hmm:

[Chad Gates]

Buzz, can I ask where these “polls” are? Are you’re talking about the straw polls that appear on the West Australian website? A subscription only news site. I only ask because I actually don’t know anyone who pays for it, and they are all anti-McGowan. Just an observation. Make of it what you like.

[BuzzBox]

But West Australians dont believe in daylight savings either...

That's not strictly true. A majority of people in the Perth Metro area voted YES, but an overwhelming majority of people in the country areas voted NO, which was enough to swing the overall vote to NO - the overall result was 55% NO and 45% YES. The large NO vote from the country areas came about because the National Party refused to support the YES vote due to a political dispute with the Liberals over funding for the regions.

[BuzzBox]

Buzz, can I ask where these “polls” are? Are you’re talking about the straw polls that appear on the West Australian website? A subscription only news site. I only ask because I actually don’t know anyone who pays for it, and they are all anti-McGowan. Just an observation. Make of it what you like.

The poll I mentioned was an independent poll conducted by Painted Dog Research. It was not a straw poll conducted by The West Australian, however, the results were published in The West.

Another poll, conducted by the Augusta-Margaret River Mail, surveyed 2,450 readers in different parts of the South-West and found that overall more than 65 per cent of respondents backed McGowan's decision.
Mail readers show support for WA border decision (https://www.margaretrivermail.com.au/story/7590407/mail-readers-show-support-for-wa-border-decision/)

[minigundiplomat]

So all this WA v East Coast stuff - you know you’re all just West Island, right?

[SOPS]

I can assure all of those that have a loathing of Mark McGowan, one thing. You can have as many wet dreams as you like, thinking that the end of Mark is coming because ‘everyone’ in WA hates his border policy….. however Scott from Marketing does NOTHING without referring to Focus Groups and polls, ( especially with an election looming). So there was.no way he would have been on Perth radio this morning telling Western Australia how he gets on really well with “ Mark” and how Mark has done the right thing keeping the border shut, ( a huge back flip… we can see through that one Scott). He was also at pains to emphasise that the Federal Election was a contest between himself and Albo… not himself and Mark ( as he was referring to him through the entire interview).

Why did he say these things? Because Scott’s information from his polling is .. Mark McGowan is sill incredibly popular in Western Australia and so are his closed border policies. And he knows if he says anything against his new mate Mark or his policies, it could very quickly become an election about Scott vs Mark ( if it hasn’t already),….and with some Liberal seats in the balance in WA, WA for a change, may decide the outcome of the election.

[The The]

Yeah right, Scomo has a real knack for reading the room. Lol!

[BuzzBox]

Yeah right, Scomo has a real knack for reading the room. Lol!

With several marginal seats in WA that could make or break the looming Federal election, you can rest assured that Morrison is VERY aware that he needs to tread carefully when it comes to WA. Why else do you think the Commonwealth withdrew support for Clive Palmer's High Court bid to have the border closure struck down, or that Morrison has suddenly become "Mark's" best friend, at a time when everyone else seems hell bent on tearing him down?

[SOPS]

Yeah right, Scomo has a real knack for reading the room. Lol!

You seem not to understand something. Whatever your personal opinion on ScoMo reading the room…. We are in election mode. And ANYTHING that he says from now on..is driven by polls… and these are ones you won’t see.. right now both parties are madly polling what works with voters .

Trust me… voters love Mark…and Scott is a worried man. ( and I’m a life long Lib voter )

[Icarus2001]

I think SOPS is spot on with these comments. I nearly spat my coffee out when I heard Scott support Mark on the radio today.

[dr dre]

. And he knows if he says anything against his new mate Mark or his policies, it could very quickly become an election about Scott vs Mark ( if it hasn’t already),….and with some Liberal seats in the balance in WA, WA for a change, may decide the outcome of the election.

The election outcome I will almost certainly be decided before polls close in WA. LNP can’t win an election on less than 40% primary, at the moment they’re on 35%.

WA will gift ALP Swan and Pearce almost certainly. Taking them to 71 and the Coalition to 73, then another 3 to the ALP on only a very minor swing (about 1%). So they’re at 74 and even if that’s it the ALP will get enough of the crossbench for a minority government. Current polls show a wipeout of over 20 seats.

Now if there are more WA seats that are going to be in play after those two, then we will have the swing so large it’ll take out 17 Liberals MPs including Peter Dutton.

What I mean is that whatever happens in WA is a bit irrelevant to the election result. Like it or not, Morrison’s level of support in WA is not going to increase much at all despite how much campaigning he does.

[Ninthace]

NZ could open fully, WA could open fully either way air travel demand is lower than ever. We have been sent of forced leave, multiple shifts canned as of now the airports in ML and SY are empty as.
Trust me, there is a lot of pent up demand for travel to NZ. This side of the world, we have relatives than have not seem family for far to long. I have one grand kid I met when he was 3 months old and now he is his own little man and his sister I have yet to meet.

[SHVC]

Yea initially, for a month it will be busy. the same happened here. Family, friends spiked initial demand and it went bat $hit crazy. That has died off now and airports are empty. Friends of mine went to FiJi two weeks ago getting back into Australia was one of the most horrible experiences they have ever had they said, family literally being split up. They want to go to Hawaii next, but wont travel again until this mess is completely over and I would almost be positive that is the general consensus among most ppl wanting to travel. They simply can’t be bothered with Australias BS domestic and international travel requirements.

[Chris2303]

At least the Nats have some people in the shadow Cabinet who actually have prior experience in running things.

Donkey has already proved, as have others of the right wing, that running a business is nothing like running a country.

[Troo believer]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-02/denmark-scraps-most-covid-restrictions/100797420

You do wonder wtf is going on in NZ.. Pandering to those that probably rely on the state to pay their bills no doubt. It appears the tail is wagging the dog with the Kindy teacher leader more concerned with her ego than the good of the country. Economic suicide is being committed slowwwwwwlllllllyyyyy.

[tartare]

Donkey has already proved, as have others of the right wing, that running a business is nothing like running a country.

On the contrary - there are a lot of similarities.
The skills of making quick decisive decisions with imperfect information, or adapting tactics and strategy rapidly to changing situations for example.
I voted for Ardern - and then waited for the results - and guess what - numerous failures.
Over her.
She and her lot couldn't run a bath.
Check out her Defence Minister's `strategy' for God's sake.
Luxon may be a happy clapper - but at least he's run a big, nationally significant organisation.
Ardern's a student politician who's built a cult of personality amongst the naive and gullible, and has only pivoted on COVID when polling and media pressure made it untenable to continue.

[Gne]

I thought the NZ Defence strategy was in the title of the National Anthem.

Seems that also applies to other strategies.

[tartare]

Indeed... cos no-one else will!
And that is in no way intended as a criticism of the RNZAF, RNZN, the Army or the NZSAS.

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

Hey Mr 'B' #30 & Mr 'I', #32,

You missed the 'sting'..in the last few words of that comment.....the REAL comment was to reference WA's degraded / worn out Health System / Hospital / Nurses / Ambulance Ramping situation.....It was not missed by many of my colleagues either.

Just sayin'