Posted on 09/26/2021 3:38:11 PM PDT by george76
During his lengthy Sunday appearance on CBS' "Face the Nation," Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked about a host of issues. He was briefly asked by host Margaret Brennan about his country's strict lockdowns in the face of the Wuhan coronavirus, which he defended.
As Brennan reminded the prime minister, "Australia is one of the few Western democracies that has really put in place some very, very strict COVID protocols. You shut down your borders 18 months ago," before going on to ask him "when will they reopen? Are you going to have vaccine passports? When will Australians be able to leave?"
Prime Minister Morrison offered that "we will see our international borders, particularly for Australians to leave and return, and Australians who are overseas who have been vaccinated to return and that will occur before the end of the year, and it could happen well before that."
Other than that date, the prime minister didn't provide many specifics. He touted his country's vaccination rates, but it was more so a matter of "and we'll be able to open up those borders" and that "it is getting us to a place where we'll be able to open again."
What Morrison did stick to was about saving lives of Australians.
...
Even when Brennan broached the topic as a matter of asking "do you think less liberty is medically necessary? We have a huge argument over that in this country. Why did you think it was worth it in Australia," Morrison's response was merely that "30,000 lives is the simple answer."
Morrison did also acknowledge that there was more strict lockdowns, due to the Delta variant:
MARGARET BRENNAN: In Melbourne this week, you did have some protests--
PRIME MINISTER MORRISON: We did.
MARGARET BRENNAN: --against mandates. So, is there just sort of an exhaustion level here politically that makes it difficult for you to try to control the virus?
PRIME MINISTER MORRISON: The Delta variant is the game changer when that started hitting around the world from about mid this year. Of course, it's had a devastating effect here in the United States. We have had a lot of success with COVID in managing the virus pre delta where we didn't have to go into lockdowns. We could manage it through the testing and tracing, isolation, borders, quarantine. All of that was very effective. But when Delta hit, it was- it changed everything. And so regrettably, we've had lockdowns in our two biggest cities in Sydney- Sydney and Melbourne now for- for many months, and we're looking forward to the end of that. And those restrictions are already starting to ease. And the vaccination programme, which has been running successfully, our rates of vaccination on a daily basis per capita have even exceeded those that were achieved in the United States, in the United Kingdom at their peak. And so that is getting us to a place where we'll be able to open again.
Despite having been fully vaccinated for months, Prime Minister Morrison confirmed to Brennan he will quarantine upon returning to Australia.
The Guardian staff put together a comprehensive and chilly explanation of what's allowed and what's not. Residents can only leave their home for a very limited amount of reasons, and can only travel up to 15km away, or about 9 miles. If up five people want to meet for "personal training" reasons outside, they must all be vaccinated. Masks must be worn indoors and outdoors, except when it comes to people being in their own homes.
Complete lockdowns have occurred in Australia over a matter of a single case.
As Matt wrote about last month, Australia has gone on to build camps for COVID patients, or as they put it, there's going to be a "dedicated regional quarantine facility."
And, earlier this month, I delved into an Australian method of compliance for quarantine measures, which involves facial recognition technology. As Byron Kaye reported for Reuters since then, it is in fact in the trial stage for Australian states.
When Brennan brought up that "people in this country won't wear masks," meaning here at home, Morrison's brief response was that "that's a matter for the United States."
Another difference between Australia and the United States, is that Australia doesn't have a Second Amendment. The people surrendered their guns to be willingly confiscated in 1996 and 1997.
And it’s not really about public health, is it.
CoupFlu has NEVER been about public health.
Anywhere on the planet.
No, constitutionally he cannot.
First of all, it would be wrong. Or do you believe national leaders should be just able to ignore their nation's constitution whenever they feel like it? As a conservative, I don't agree.
Secondly, both the High Court of Australia, and if it came down to it, the Governor-General would step in to stop him.
He is bound to follow the Constitution.
This is a disease. It is a health matter.
You don't get to just declare it isn't, because you don't like what's being done.
I am sure that your analysis is correct of the legal system in Australia and you are on the ground with a very good perspective. The problem is that tyrants all over the world are overrunning the legal systems and using them as a tool of oppression. In a total war with would be dictators, any and all means of fighting oppression will provide the only way forward to avoid being enslaved permanently. Think Pinochet.
COVID has been a dream come true for would be Stalins worldwide.
I watched this video today and thought I would ask your opinion of your government’s restriction of the prescribing of Ivermectin.
Ivermectin in Australia
Dr. John Campbell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gndsUjgPYo
I have almost no expertise in medicine, so it’s difficult for me to have an informed opinion.
Personally I dislike banning things without a really good reason, so in principle I’m opposed to the restriction because I can’t see a good reason, unless there is a genuine risk of shortage for other purposes.
Having said that, it’s not a huge issue in Australia - very few people care about it one way or the other from what I can see.
Watching the video - I’m afraid this man does seem to assume people listen to their doctors more than most of them actually do.
A lot of his arguments seems to boil down to “If people listen to their doctors, none of this would be a problem.” Probably true.
But an awful lot of people won’t be listening to their doctors.
And from what I have heard, most of the people I’ve heard of here seeking Ivermectin (and it’s not a large number) are seeking it as an alternative to vaccination.
Watching the video the British doctor makes it clear that Ivermectin is easily available in large quantities on the international market. So depriving anyone due to shortages is non-sense.
He also quotes the Aussie government publication that there has been a 3-4 fold increase in the prescribing of Ivermectin in Australia. Seems there is some interest in Ivermectin among Australian doctors or their patients.
He tries very hard to be an unbiased reporter of medical issues.
The doctor suggest that the Aussie governments reasons to ban the prescribing of Ivermectin for COVID are farcical.
Having watched a great number of this doctor’s videos he clearly is not pro Ivermectin and is very much pro vaccine.
He tries very hard to be an unbiased reporter of medical issues.
He also underestimates the genuine difficulty Australia has had sourcing a significant amount of medical supplies throughout this pandemic. Other countries have been hoarding and telling us “You’re not sick enough to have these valuable supplies.”
And he seems to be wrong in saying that onchocercosis isn’t present in Australia. It’s rare but it’s present.
Meanwhile in America, the lockdowns continue to fail our citizens!
No, The Doctors, Who Opposed Lockdowns Aren’t To Blame For Lockdowns’ Failures!
The Federalist ^ | November 8, 2021 | Martin Kulldorf
Excerpt:
While the professional Zoom class of administrators, managers, journalists, scientists, and other professionals worked from home and arranged new schools, private schools, tutors, or home schooling for their children, working-class children and families bore the brunt of both the pandemic and the lockdowns.
To paraphrase Grim, today it may be “extreme” to defend children and essential workers, but it should not be.
The Covid restrictions have affected everyone, and they are the biggest assault on the working class since segregation and the Vietnam War. The damage done cannot be undone. We should hope though, that in the future, lockdown proponents will at least have the decency not to slander or blame others for the catastrophic lockdown policies they advocated!
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4010940/posts
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