ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED IN COVID DECISIONS

THE government has been eerily quiet on their favourite subject of late.

Normally Health Minister Natasha Fyles and her boss, Chief Minister Michael Gunner, are tripping over themselves to update the public on what they are doing to “keep Territorians safe”.

And, by and large, their decisions combined with the good work of Territorians has made the Territory’s handling of Covid-19 a world-leader.

But the mood has shifted in the past few months.

Previously, the Chief Minister would hold one or two Covid press conferences a week during an outbreak, either because of the serious nature of the subject matter (e.g. a lockdown or a death) or to announce relief measures.

But this week was markedly different, with Mr Gunner not seeing fit to answer questions on the day the Territory recorded three Covid-related deaths, the worst day we have had during the pandemic.

Nor has the Chief Minister seen fit to front the public over substantial and impressive inspirational changes to the Territory’s border policies. No longer will travellers need to complete border declaration forms, nor will they need to show proof of vaccination.

Despite the massive policy shift, neither Mr Gunner nor Ms Fyles have held a dedicated Covid press conference in two weeks. Effectively overnight, Mr Gunner has gone from being the face of Covid-19 to a leader in hiding.

Friday’s late night announcement was made in the form of a press release sent to journalists with little fanfare. The press and Territorians had no avenue to question the logic behind these decisions, and there were many aspects of the policy shift that remained uncertain for hours.

This is not responsible government.

It is natural for a politician to want to front the press to announce good news, but the public also rightly demands Mr Gunner and his team face questioning when the story is not so rosy.

The Country Liberals have suggested a quarterly report into the chief health officer’s decisions may be necessary to keep track of the myriad of changes, and this suggestion has merit. Labor should vote for it to prove it has nothing to hide.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister needs to stop listening to whoever is telling him this evasive “strategy” is effective.

After all, he was the one who promised “transparent government”.