Thread: Corona Virus

Originally Posted by windsock

From NSW Premier says Australian state must learn to live with Covid, as CMO calls for ‘circuit-breaker’ | Stuff.co.nz

Has NSW leadership given up on beating this down and now preparing to let it go feral and rely on vaccines? Or is it a misquote or taken out of context by media? If not a misquote and that is the intent, how can one state decide to let it in an go feral in a federation of states?

Its not one state, its Sydney! The rest of us in NSW are having a crack.

Well, I've decided to jump in the deep end, and volunteer for the Qld care army. This may be just something simple like driving supplies to an elderly resident in your community , which if this delta outbreak here takes off , as it may, means the authorities have a network of volunteers to help out. You are only called when needed, and I recommend it for all Qlders.

Volunteering | Community support | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)

Emergency volunteering

• Register with Volunteering Queensland's Emergency Volunteering CREW so you can be linked to organisations requiring volunteer support before and after disasters.
• Find out about opportunities to volunteer for state disaster response.
• If you're between 12 and 17, you can volunteer with the PCYC Emergency Services Cadet Program.

Originally Posted by JDNSW

A republic is much more likely to be approved than a change to the federation, and I expect it to come about at some time. But this "one word" will not make the slightest difference to the federal system.

And any plan of using the change to a republic to make more than trivial changes to the federation stands about the same chance as a proposal to abolish states. In other words, zero.

The "problem" is not the monarchy, it is not the federation, it is not the electoral system - it is that the vast majority of Australians are very suspicious of major changes and always have been - which is why Federation took forty years to achieve, and was only approved with very specific procedures to ensure any changes had widespread approval right across the country.

And just because you think a change to a republic would fix all evils does not mean everyone, or even a significant number, agree with you.

Perhaps surprisingly, I do not want a republic.

Just got my second AZ jab.

Dr asked if I had any reaction to the first jab and I said a mild headache. He said, 'That's good, it shows it's working.'

I think many people, including me, feel frustrated this mess just keeps going on and on, with no end in sight.
I see getting jabbed as my chance to actually do something positive to take charge and make a difference.
I encourage everyone to go see your GP and get jabbed, so we can get our lives back.
2021 seems a lost cause, but hopefully the situation will improve in 2022.

Originally Posted by Arapiles

I agree to a degree - I think that we need to go in one of two directions: if we are to be a country first and foremost and not some loose currency union then we need to remove the State boundaries altogether and do what the Japanese did and create new provinces that don't reflect the old political boundaries. For example, it would make sense for the cities along the Murray to be one region, ditto the Mallee areas in SA and Vic.

The alternative is that we have more of the last 100 years, where there's cycles between centralisation (where the Commonwealth is stronger) and regionalisation (where the States are stronger).


Edit: early on it looked like our Federal model was working, because, unlike the situation in the UK with the regions, the States had the resources to deal with Covid and we weren't at the mercy of the failure of a single national government. Similarly, the Cth had enough power that the situation in the USA where the States could effectively ignore the Federal government didn't arise. And then the Cth failed to deliver on their two areas of responsibility, quarantine and vaccines.

Don't advocate changing the State / Commonwealth structure just because the present Federal government failed in their responsibilities. And focusing on boutique prefectures like Japan may not be the best example. Much better to reform the current federal system, which works when not abused.

Rather surprised…….I opted to register on the government website and wait for a jab to be allocated, I was skeptical that I’d ever hear back

registered maybe 6 weeks ago, I delayed registering as I figured there’d be others that need the jab before I do and not point hassling the system.

Just as I was thinking I might start ringing around or looking into looking into fast tracking a jab I get an email saying a jab has been allocated earliest was 1st Oct, which I accepted.

Wife is still sitting in the fence on whether she will get the jab. I expect she eventually will……more than likely as close as possible to our departure date.

Hmm 7 week wait.

Originally Posted by windsock

From NSW Premier says Australian state must learn to live with Covid, as CMO calls for ‘circuit-breaker’ | Stuff.co.nz

Has NSW leadership given up on beating this down and now preparing to let it go feral and rely on vaccines? Or is it a misquote or taken out of context by media? If not a misquote and that is the intent, how can one state decide to let it in an go feral in a federation of states?

She also said just before that:

It’s obviously a challenge for us to get down to that number, but that has to be our aspiration. We have to try and get down as low as we can

There is absolutely no suggestion of "letting it go feral".

I watch everyone of these press conferences to their conclusion and there is never any language that would support going that route. Our health system wouldn't cope.

i would say that what she is referring to is that inevitably there will come a time when this thing will be right through the entire country after international boarders are opened etc. so we have to come to terms with it at some point.

I see this going two ways, we keep going as we are until vaccination levels reach the point restrictions can be lifted or the state is put under the mother of all lockdowns for 3 weeks minimum - the circuit breaker the CMO was suggesting.

Originally Posted by Vern

Its not one state, its Sydney! The rest of us in NSW are having a crack.

nah, it's the whole state . . . having a crack.