Closing of borders a sorry mess SOPHIE ELSWORTH

SIGNING off for 2020, many Australians will be keen to put the year behind them.

Christmas has finally permitted many to reunite with their family and friends for the first time since COVID-19 struck.

But that’s not to forget those who remained separated.

The border mayhem in Australia isn’t about keeping citizens safe, it’s about politicians endeavouring to keep their jobs and popularity intact.

When the news broke of Sydney’s recent COVID-19 cluster, the premiers and chief ministers went on their asexpected power trips.

One by one they slammed the door shut on fellow Australians, locking out millions of residents from the big smoke and NSW’s Central Coast right before Christmas.

The mayhem whipped up over the cluster has seen single-digit infections for consecutive days from an extraordinary amount of daily testing numbers and certainly didn’t warrant locking out NSW residents like they were all infected with the virus.

Families remain split this Christmas because power-hungry premiers and CMs want to be seen to be doing the right thing and “keeping us safe”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is hoping Victorians will have short memories and forget the ineptitude of his government that cost more than 800 lives through the second wave, and sadly those families had an empty seat at the Christmas table this year.

Was it really necessary to turn festive plans into sheer chaos with Australians fleeing Sydney before the 14-day quarantine period was enforced when they entered another state?

The chaos resulted in families panic packing their bags and fleeing Sydney just to beat the border closures.

But what is not to be forgotten is the truth behind the real reasons some people were allowed in and out of states when border walls were firmly up.

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young admitted earlier this year when it comes to sporting stars, including AFL players and entertainment identities, they can parachute over a border wall because they bring “a lot of money into the state”.

So, if you have a bag of cash you get priority, but tough luck if you’re the average Aussie battling to make ends meet.

Border mayhem has been one of the biggest disappointments in 2020.

In the new year I’m off to the Sunshine State for a getaway, but given Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s track record with border closures, I’m not confident I’ll get there until I put my feet firmly on the tarmac.