It’s a crisis, so grow up!

Queensland pollie slammed over cheap shots at Tassie

ANTI-TASMANIAN jibes by a Queensland politician have prompted an independent federal member to urge all political leaders to “grow up … and act with dignity”.

Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles triggered a storm of criticism over his remarks that he didn’t “see any reason why anyone would want to go to Tassie” in response to a question about

ANNIE MCCANN

Tasmania’s border restrictions, which cut Queenslanders from the state’s travel bubble arrangement.

Federal independent MP for Clarke Andrew Wilkie said it was important for states and territories to support and respect each other during the crisis.

He said Mr Miles was exploiting the coronavirus situation to “score cheap political points”.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a global and national health crisis, not a footy competition,” Mr Wilkie said.

“Everyone in leadership positions, especially in the Queensland government, needs to grow up, focus on the job at hand and act with dignity.”

Mr Wilkie said Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein was right to “stand up to Queensland’s nonsense” after the Premier labelled Mr Miles’ comments “ill-informed” and added that to was obvious to him that Mr Miles “didn’t get out much pre-COVID”.

Another vocal opponent of interstate “border wars”, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month said attacks from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison over travel restrictions had to stop.

“At the moment, what we have is a bit of a confrontation, where fights are being picked at different states,” she said. “And Frankly, I don’t think it is good enough.”

While some social media users have viewed Mr Miles’ comments as banter, many Mercury readers have responded to blows dealt to the Apple Isle.

John C. W. Boucher said Mr Miles’ tirade showed ignorance and was “particularly disturbing” behaviour for a public figure.

One ex-Queenslander,

Janet Ainscow, said on Facebook she fled to Tassie for the “low population, beautiful countryside and relaxed lifestyle”.

“Queensland is full of paralysis ticks, toads, bats and more snakes than Tassie,” she said.

Others believed the Deputy Premier had a case of sour grapes, with Deborah Collins simply saying it was “his loss”.

QUEENSLAND Deputy Premier Steven Miles sparked a social media storm on Saturday when he casually put down Tasmania after a question about the state’s decision to leave Queensland out of its travel bubble.

“I don’t see any reason why anyone would want to go to Tassie,” he said.

“They’ve got no reef, they don’t have the kinds of forests that we have, and of course, I don’t think anyone would be going to Tassie to go to the beach.”

Predictably, his remarks provoked an angry and impassioned defence from many Tasmanians who leapt to the defence of our state.

Miles hit a raw nerve with many people who have for years have put up with being the butt of mainland jokes — the two-headed barbs, the married-to-yoursister jibes, the freezing weather remarks — we have heard them all.

We are now rightly proud of our state, which has experienced a boost in tourism as the rest of the country and the world has discovered the beauty and charms of the little jewel at the bottom of the nation.

The arrival of Mona and a boom in fine food and wines have made us a cool place to visit, while low population, little traffic and affordable housing have brought an influx of mainlanders escaping the rat race.

It is not only Tasmania that has been singled out. Earlier in the pandemic, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews made similar disparaging remarks about

South Australia when it closed the borders to Victoria. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also felt the heat from NSW and Canberra over her strict border stance.

But isn’t this all a bit of harmless banter between states where politicians play to their audience to make themselves and their constituents feel better about themselves by putting other states down?

In one way it is. In normal circumstances, there is little wrong with a bit of friendly rivalry between states. NSW and Queensland do it every year when State of Origin rugby league games are played. It’s all good-humoured and harmless.

But in the present circumstances, our leaders need to be careful with the language they choose.

The second wave of COVID-19 cases in Victoria has many Australians on edge. This is real, and it’s deadly. The state was hit yesterday with 459 new cases and 10 new deaths.

There is a level of fear and anxiety in the community which is not far below the surface. This leads to suspicion and can quickly turn nasty. At the start of the pandemic, there was a feeling that “we are all in this together”. That mood has shifted and the “us verses them” sentiment is taking over.

The fact is we can’t fight this crisis without the support and care of everyone. An outbreak can happen anywhere.

Independent member for Clark Andrew Wilkie is right when he says leaders must act with dignity and focus on the job at hand.

Many of us have friends and family living in Victoria, NSW and Queensland whom we love and care for. We’re all Australians and we shouldn’t lose sight of that.

THERE IS LITTLE WRONG WITH A BIT OF FRIENDLY RIVALRY BETWEEN STATES, BUT IN THE PRESENT CIRCUMSTANCES OUR LEADERS NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH THEIR LANGUAGE.