Opinion pieces in media are just that – the writer’s opinion. Bias, unbalanced, misinformation, passion, fiery, food for thought and many other adjectives.
I was reading one such piece this morning instead of vacuuming. I read that our situation is becoming more fraught as we go forward, and we need rational input into Covid-19, so the plot isn’t lost.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen changes with SA, Queensland and Victoria’s freight protocols, without any warning to the drivers.
Really what has changed is SA now want three-day results and one jab if you come out of, or through NSW and Victoria. With Victoria if you are on a multi entry permit they are mandating the vaccinations. These rules are clear (when written like this). Not really hamstrung just a comprehension issue due to the way things are worded.
Queensland is a class of its own. The premier’s beat-up about truckies bringing Covid into the state. Was Garden City a super-spreader? No. Was Logan a super-spreader? No. She forgets these drivers are human, feel bad enough and followed their protocols.
States have been opening and closing truck friendly test sites, changing the hours of operation so many are no longer staffed 24/7 they switch to telehealth.
The drivers need to keep a constant test regime as results are not timely. Could you imagine if I ran my kitchen like this?
Highway blockades? Old news I know but worth a mention before we keep driving past.
This Bored Neurotic Housewife’s (BNH) opinion is, kudos to the two drivers who put their money where their mouths are, but they lost my support when they moved their fight beyond the mandatory jab conversation.
Watching from the comfort of my recliner, they looked hi-jacked. BUT the attacks they have been sustaining since – not a good look. This is what the pundits love best, fragmenting the drivers.
Firstly, you had Karen Brewer posting her silent protest, adding sectors of the community to it as she went, vets, truckies, etc. With the current mood of drivers, it was very easy to get some to jump onto her bandwagon,
Now this is where the waters get murky when you refer to truckies – interstate, intrastate, local, tipper etc.
We all tend to jump up and down when we hear truckies and see them as the big bad interstaters.
However, the few trucks we did see blockade in the media on that Tuesday were smaller local work trucks.
While it irks me to say it, the industry associations are there at the forefront with government decision makers trying their darndest to put forward the industry requirements and what is an achievable objective and what is not. Most in government be it local, state, or federal, have no idea.
A National Freight Code that should streamline and uniform the process for the HV industry in Australia: that should have been enough. The functionality of the code works, it is clear, decisive, and minimal impact to the supply chain, leaving the wheels turning and the economy rolling forward.
Rules, codes, protocols, not always clear and not always concise, but once beaten like an old carpet it simply comes down to permits, test, sanitise, mask, social distance and now the jab which is slowly but surely being implemented.
How will this affect Australian society today? It will free it from the misery of lockdown, the tyranny of Covid. The nation’s economy grew 0.7 per cent in the June quarter and 9.5 per cent over the year to June. It’s all that toilet paper we’ve been buying.
Since Delta came to stay like that annoying spinster aunt, it’s sent everyone into a frenzy of social media opinions, misinformation, disagreements amongst family and friends and splinter groups of pro-choice, anti-vax, and Karen Brewer.
Generally, most of us just go about our business do what we need to do to survive and keep the wheels turning. I mean who’d want to back chat their old aunt right?
Being a politician right now in particular is a thankless job. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. This time the mainstream media is feeding so much misinformation to the general public, their penchant for, not outright lying more misrepresenting the truth, like my 18-year-old. (Thank god for Big Rigs).
When the BNH’s are home with the kids and their silly squabbles we can simply yell at them or take away their toys – it’s easy.
What has been glaringly obvious is the lack of cohesion and bipartisanship of the industry associations. Right down to not immediately sharing information as it changes unless you are a paid-up member.
In the time of Covid that shouldn’t happen. At least right now, we seem to be slowly getting some uniformity across states and that’s a bonus for the drivers – both inter and intra state. It makes the BNH’s life so much easier when our drivers are not such a grumpy A.
Covid clean facilities, sit-down meals at roadhouses, facilities at repairers, better test result reporting, border authorities understanding the regulations. If I write them on a list and stick ‘em to the fridge and tick them off as completed, that’ll get the job done?
At least I wouldn’t need to buy extra toilet paper.