this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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Inquiry warns distrustful public wouldn’t accept COVID measures in future pandemic. (theconversation.com)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/australia
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[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Idk where you experienced it but I did not get the impression of party politics taking a back seat.

Federally the LNP played with misinformation (e.g. children can't spread it, a completely absurd statement) in order to push on with their business first agenda. Ultimately instituting a deeply corrupt and flawed bastard welfare measure that was terminated early. Not to mention losing vaccine deals because of arrogant pride.

In NSW the LNP favoured the rich east, and played politics with masks. Notably Dom being photographed outside without a mask. They literally deployed the military on westies while being like "oops lmao" every time someone from liberal heartland caused an outbreak.

I was absolutely disgusted with the cowardice, contradictory statements (don't use masks, wait use masks, don't go out, now go out, oops go back), and venal politicking. It is completely unsurprising that despite the admirable performance by the APS and existing strategic stockpiles trust in government was utterly annihilated.

[–] zurohki 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

don’t use masks, wait use masks

IIRC this one was about ensuring the supply of masks for medical staff early on before production ramped up.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 6 days ago

So this might have been the case however:

  • Australia maintains a strategic stockpile for events like this.
  • There was at one point no evidence masks stopped spread (after all, we didn't know how it spread). Some people touted this as evidence masks don't stop spread. This is a perversion of how evidence works and a very silly thing to think.
  • You cannot change messages and expect people to keep trusting you. you need to be honest.

Australia's readiness had been criticised for years, indeed it used to be one of the ways I bored everyone stupid at house parties when I got political. If the stockpile of masks was insufficient this was massively forseeable, although I think it was actually adequate and the pollies were just reckless idiots for panic reasons.