I am trying to leave Australia, but have been denied an exit exemption. Good to know Australia is no better than North Korea. Surely, I can ignore this stupid travel exemption now.

Now we have a NSW premier who thinks he is the PM. To his credit Scomo hasn't been PM since the bushfires.

DP will not be the savior, he is not even an elected leader of the ppl and to be honest he most likely wouldn’t be when the time comes, his time may be short lived! But, he is stirring the pot instead of a “conversation” or “we will look at it” he is actually doing and wanting to make it happen. To his credit that is putting pressure on all states, territories and his own liberal federal compatriots which is what this country needs wether you like it or not.

I say this, or write. Think of our national anthem and the words in it do they apply now?!! I’ve never been an advocate to change it, but, after covid and how our country has acted towards one another it certainty is not worthy anthem for us now.

Mate I'm hearing what you say and I genuinely feel for those in Melb, Syd and SE Queensland in that order, you guys have had it really tough the rest of us are grateful we don't live there.
For the rest of us that hasn't been our experience, the worst for us has been remembering to take your face mask with you when we want to go into a public place.
Yes we want the borders open and something like it was pre covid, but we're not in any rush, it's important to get everyone vaccinated. 80% double vaxxed is a good place to start the opening process. It's going to happen and if everything goes to plan before Christmas. The majority of Australians aren't feeling the pain some of you are.
We also know it's going to take time, pre covid normality isn't going to just happen on opening day, it's more like many many months.

Just to reiterate NSW will be well above 80% double jabbed by Nov 1st, Victoria around 70%, QLD, SA, WA and NT around 60%.

The reason NSW can open to non quarantine international travel by then but no other state isn’t some strike of genius or great management on park of their government, it’s simply because they are more vaccinated as a result of receiving priority and allocation and having an a outbreak and lockdown which drove them to be vaccinated.

The other states will change their tune as their vax rate increases, although we want them to do it now they’ll wait further to get a more accurate picture before setting dates. Even NSW waited until 78% fully vaxxed until making this decision with a two week warning. It’s probably not as realistic for the Covid zero states to give their reopening plans now at 55% vax rates.

Tasmania is still aiming for a covid zero and going for a 3 day lockdown this weekend due to a loose positive case. That won’t happen in about 6-8 weeks.

This absolute mess has the lowest unemployment rate of all the States as well as being the only State with a budget surplus of billions. People can go about their lives freely without masks etc, we have not had any restrictions for several months.
He won in a landslide because there was basically no opposition! He has a mandate for the closed border whether you like it or not.
It is extraordinary to have people in locked down covid infested states, relying on WA resources to provide the funds for their welfare, jeering at us.

Covid has been sitting in ships in Fremantle harbour and we have managed not to have it spreading everywhere, that is down to the people as well as the government. From the Ruby Princess onwards NSW has been unable to kepp it under control.

Even with that the WA government has (smartly) begun to talk about the need for some indoor mask mandates, capacity limits and restrictions on unvaccinated persons when borders come down. This gets the public used to the idea of living with the virus.

Victoria is only about 11/12 days at the moment behind NSW and will hit 80% on the 31st October if they keep it going.

Vic cracks 90 a bit over a week later and is forecasted to overtake NSW in total % Second dose mid to late November.

Queensland would be lucky to crack those numbers this calender year. Love the change of tune from Dr Young up here now... ‘Covid is coming for you’. Good riddance. Way too late now.

Brought about by the surging spot price in a single commodity - that's not good management, that's good luck. Nothing more. And despite your State Daddy's surplus, you still have a health system that is unable to cope with scheduled elective surgeries without a Covid-induced-response affecting the system. It's no wonder he has to keep it out...

It's also extraordinary to expect NSW to carry the lions share of the risk of international arrivals and airfreight yet those states whose Citizens transit through Sydney Airport, those states whose time-sensitive freight transits through Mascot, are more than happy to lock out NSW's Citizens.
On the contrary, until the arrival of Delta, NSW managed all outbreaks while keeping the economy relatively open with targeted lockdowns. They didn't stop taking international arrivals like Victoria did when they had their outbreak, they didn't have a sook about the number of arrivals and demand they be halved like McGowan did - while still expecting NSW to pick up the slack - and they didn't say "we ain't taking anyone" like Tasmania did.

Be realistic, WA has got where it is though good luck, not good management. Any child can close the door to keep the boogy man out - and that's all McGowan has done, viable opposition or not. He hasn't managed WA's fair share of international arrivals, nor the volume of air freight that Sydney handles, and he's run the health system into the ground. On just about every measure, the WA health system has been trending badly for the last several years, where most other states have been static or showed improvements - the only thing that'll likely be able to turn that around is the budget surplus - because god knows you'd be totally screwed without it!

There is about 15 million people that make up the populations of NSW and VIC all of whom have been under increased restrictions this year.

So the minority of Australian’s might not be feeling the pain - but it’s about time those minorities started acting in the National (read majority) interest and that we have consistent plan with known targets to work towards. It’s absolutely ludicrous that we still don’t know when:
- QLD will open up to VIC / NSW
- WA will cease all restrictions on arrivals from states that have even a tiny number of cases

And I won’t let the Eastern states off the hook, it’s also equally stupid that:
- NSW opens international arrivals on November 1, but no word on arrivals from Victoria
- That Victoria (at 2000 cases a day) still considers the ACT a red zone (at 30 cases a day and a population that sees 95% of people with at least a single dose of vaccine)
- That Victoria allows someone to arrive from NSW, travel to regional Vic and then lockdown within 25km of that location, yet someone in Melbourne can’t travel to regional Victoria.

This country has well and truly lost the plot….

Sure but then NSW sent only a handful of medical staff to help in VIC pre vaccine, now we have hundreds of long covid sufferers, other than VIC mostly from SA and WA, including my own and we don't know when if ever that will end. if anyone has the right to sook we do.

I’ll happily wear a mask indoors at shops etc and adhere to other restrictions for the next year if it means I can come and go from WA freely. The problem is the selfish majority in this state who believe they are free simply because they can visit a pub, or travel to Margs, or Exmouth or Broome won’t be willing to do the same. That’s not freedom people. You are prisoners in this sh1t show of a state

I'm sure if you weren't stood down or one of your family members impacted by covid you wouldn't be thinking the way you do. we are not prisoners, we have boundaries, it's temporary and necessary. I'm sorry you feel the way you do, maybe chat to someone in VIC who is deeply impacted for perspective.

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Where is the like button??

The rate of mask compliance I observed during all of the 3 lockdowns, then during the two weeks of mandatory masks after was very high, to the point anyone without a mask stood out like a sore thumb. Almost all people were willing to wear them, and that included the two weeks after the lockdown with no Covid circulating in the community.

So I’m fairly sure the rate of mask compliance will
be high when mandated due to a reopening with some Covid circulating around.

Ahh the irony… I have family in Victoria who I can’t visit, nor can they visit me. My flying colleagues in Victoria have more liberties than me in terms of moving around the country.

Sounds like you’re suggesting I should be grateful to live in WA. As a Pilot coming and going from the state, I’m regularly made to feel like a criminal, just for doing my job. Enough is enough!

You wouldn’t understand as I know you’re not in the industry. You’re just a McGowan fan boi

My point is that given a choice between closed borders and no masks, with Marky keeping people safe, OR open borders with potential mask mandates, the inbred bogan majority of WA would prefer the former. The pathetic vaccine rates suggest the same.

1. They’re not going to be given that choice. Premier, Health minister, Police chief have all said a reopening will occur with a mask mandate and capacity restrictions, and there’s no opposition party calling to remain closed off with no masks, nor can I think of any external pressure group organising protests to remain closed off without masks.

2. The vaccine uptake was low due to supply being diverted to NSW. The uptake of the available vaccine in the state is rated as “Fully Utilised” with little to no spare available in the last Health Department weekly update (page 18 here).

3. The number of first doses plus bookings for doses in the state is over 80%, so the required amount of people are intending to take it up.

4. All indications on WA, Qld and SA reaching 80% within a week of each other in early December. Now I’ve been watching those projected target dates semi religiously over the vaccine rollout and they’ve pretty much remained in that position for a while. This means the rate of uptake in the Covid free states is steady and all will hit their targets around that time. Very unlikely now any state will fall short.

So there’s reason and evidence to be positive about the situation, messaging is now changing towards a reopen and living with Covid mindset.

You clearly loathe everything about WA and its inhabitants so why can't you just let it go, surely you don't actually want to come to this state and we don't want arrogant "easten staters" who think they are sooo superior to come here and sneer at us inbred bogans.

So why not focus your bitterness and hatred elsewhere?

Well said Clare.👍👍👍