TTT 86 Lockdown Endgame
With NSW beginning to reopening with hundreds of new cases per day and Victoria’s lockdown not working it is lockdown endgame for the Tasman nations. Tim and Stephen also discuss the post-pandemic agenda of net-zero and speech suppression on this week’s Trad Tasman Talk.
Live Replay
Podcast
Show Description
The current reopening of Australia to live with covid remains somewhat disjointed. You have New South Wales beginning to reopen but travel between Greater Sydney and Regional NSW will remain restricted until November 1, not when the state reaches 80% double vaccinated. The ACT reopened today but still has a border buddle with Southern Regional NSW. Victoria will allow residents who’ve been double vaccinated to return from NSW even though a lockdown still applies in most of the state. Southern Tasmania is entering a three-day snap lockdown due to a covid positive quarantine escapee.
In New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern doesn’t know yet if the nation is going to live with covid as the Auckland, Northland and the Waikato level three lockdowns continue. The nation is having a super vaxx Saturday or vaxxathon in a sign the government is getting desperate to increase vaccination rates. The state of Queensland has previously used this strategy with its super Pfizer weekends, the state still has the equal worst vaxx rate in Australia and is now even having to throw out expired Pfizer doses.
The crackdown on anti-lockdown protestors in Victoria continues with libertarian activist and educator Topher Field charged with incitement. The first New Zealander charged with organizing an anti-lockdown protest is Bishop Brian Tamaki. Local Melbourne communist Van Badham claims there is nothing wrong with democracy and freedom in Australia and all the footage the world has seen of local police brutality has been concocted. Secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Luke Hilakari is demanding a Royal Commission into the far-right still blaming them for union members protesting against mandatory vaccinations back in September. Two Melbourne Demons supporters who snuck into Western Australia by forging to watch the Grand Final have been sentenced to three months in prison.
Despite Victoria cracking the 2k case milestone this week, Premier Dan Andrews has recommitted to opening up when vaccination targets are reached. This could be in part to distract from the beginning of IBAC public hearings into Victorian Labor Party branch stacking where the anti-corruption body is investigating if taxpayer funds were misused for this party-political purpose.
The post-pandemic policy agenda in Australia are turning to net-zero emissions by 2050. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is now going to the Glasgow climate summit to sign the nation up the target, he will no longer have to quarantine for two weeks when he returns. Also, the Morrison Government is looking at increasing the regulation of social media platforms to either ban anonymous accounts or make the platforms liable for defamatory comments posted on their sites since they act like publishers now.
NewsLinks
Are You Ready for Tomorrow? – The BFD
Andrews’s Panicked Shift on Lockdowns – The BFD
Topher Field ARRESTED for ‘incitement’ in Melbourne – Rebel News
We need a royal commission into the organised far-right in Australia – The Age
Melbourne Demons fans jailed over trip to WA for AFL grand final – SMH
My daughter is but one victim of malicious online lies: it’s time the social media giants were held liable – Barnaby Joyce
Australia mulls measures making social media giants responsible for defamatory postings – Reuters