As someone who lives in a locked down LGA, who represents residents who have gone through some of the toughest measures across the LGAs in Western Sydney, we clearly want to get out of this.
As Labor has said, we at the national level support the national plan and believe that we do need to get out as quickly as we can, but it does require in particular a focus on the safety elements of this.
We have said, for example, that you’ve got the tracking, tracing, isolating mechanisms in place, strong, safe hospitals, no groups left behind, and teenagers getting vaccinated – some of those elements, we think, should be focused on, and if I can say, David, as someone who represents people in this part of western Sydney, I get a little bit – I have a funny reaction when I see people say in the media, particularly in terms of politicians in the media, saying we’ve got to learn to live with Covid and I look at them and think, ‘But you’ve got the resources to look after yourself’.
I represent people who in some cases are holding down two, three jobs, paying the bills, paying the rents, can’t necessarily rely on private health insurance and rely on the public health system, to say that without proper health systems in place, that they can be looked after, that is untenable and is a factor that has to be considered in any discussion about opening up.
