SPLIT VIEWS AT BORDER

PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk, her government and police bosses realised yesterday sticking rigidly to a border shutdown in the middle of Coolangatta-Tweed would not work.

Unless the nation is told to stay indoors and not move for a period of weeks, it could not work under the current arrangements in which Canberra and the state and territory governments are groping about through the COVID-19 crisis.

Spur-of-the-moment directives are becoming unsurprising as this pandemic unfolds. But careful thought has to go into decisions.

The motivation for the border barrier was understandable — NSW cases are spiking, especially after its cruise ship passenger welcome shocker.

But as the Bulletin reports, there were line-ups of traffic in some spots on major roads early yesterday and scenes of pathos – a note held up, pleading the case to allow a cancer patient needing treatment to cross the border – while elsewhere traffic flowed normally down suburban streets from one state into another.

This is a special area. The border, an imaginary line, cuts through the middle of what is in essence a single, sprawling city, even though it is subject to the whims of two state governments and two local authorities. Our region is already getting it in the neck with the shutdowns in business, public facilities and a host of other arrangements, like everywhere else. But our city’s problem is it is the tourism capital, it has a large education sector that until recent times brought international students flocking to our door, and it is also the small business capital. All these sectors have been rocked to their foundations by this crisis.

We have recorded too many coronavirus cases as it is, and understand the need for strong leadership and firm decisions.

The border shutdown that would split a community also threatened a nightmare, separating healthy workers from jobs, splitting families and posing a problem for health sector workers in particular as they tried to go to work, leaving hours before they should to get through the checkpoints and also having to worry about childcare.

We all have to do our bit. But it is a time for strong messages backed up by firm strategy. We know we are in crisis, and will respect smart solutions – clearly explained.