WE SHOULD APPLAUD GLADYS
OVER the past 18 months, Australia’s premiers have never worked harder. There can be no denying that they’ve been under extraordinary pressure. They have been charged with making incredibly difficult life-and-death decisions in the face of an unpredictable pandemic.
The country was stunned yesterday to see NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian resign. Following the Independent Commission Against Corruption revealing it would examine her conduct between 2012 and 2018, Ms Berejiklian said stepping aside pending the investigation outcome wasn’t an option.
She said the state needed certainty and that she had no choice but to quit and let someone else take the reins.
The messages from politicians of all sides of the fence acknowledging Ms Berejiklian’s courage and hard work during the pandemic said a lot for the leadership she has shown.
NSW has maintained a different strategy than the rest of the nation. After botching the cruise ship arrivals, NSW quickly outperformed every other state with contact tracing – avoiding Melbourne-style lockdowns right up until Delta darkened its doors.
It could be argued that NSW was then too slow to lock down, but Ms Berejiklian tried to focus on maintaining people’s freedoms. Things worsened and the restrictions inevitably tightened – but she has been the only state leader to genuinely prioritise returning those freedoms.
Lockdowns and border closures have served their purposes while citizens get vaccinated. But we are entering a different stage of the pandemic and the Covid-zero utopia will have to come to an end for us all.
NSW’s bold plan to reopen has premiers such as our own concerned – just as the rest of the world felt when Boris Johnson announced the UK’s Freedom Day. With NSW looking as though it could reach almost 80 to 90 per cent fully vaccinated – some of the best rates in the world – the state will open up with the best possible protection.
Case numbers will surge. But, in theory, a high number of cases shouldn’t translate to high rates of hospitalisations or deaths. Indeed, NSW will likely stop counting case numbers and focus on ensuring cases for those who are vaccinated are not severe.
Some would say it’s dangerous to move so quickly away from restrictions but someone has to do it. So, we would argue it’s brave and necessary.
We hope upon hope that NSW’s road map is successful and that the state can forge a path for the nation to return to a new normal where we put the threat of lockdowns behind us, move freely around our own country and cross international borders if and when we choose.
It’s a shame Ms Berejiklian won’t be there to see it through.