CHRIS KENNY:
Let's go now to Dr David Gillespie, who's the Federal Minister for Regional Health. Thanks for joining us, David, from Canberra in lockdown there. You must be aware of this problem with airports as well. Are you going to raise that with Barnaby Joyce? We've got to keep the ground staff around the airports as well.
DAVID GILLESPIE:
Yeah, look, he is a very practical fellow, Barnaby. I'm sure if you ask him, he'll have answers for you. And look, one of the things about the National Party…
CHRIS KENNY:
[Talks over] Are you going to lobby him though?
DAVID GILLESPIE:
At the moment, I'm locked down in Canberra, but the rest of the world all needs transport and aviation. And the principle that's been outlined is we've got to keep it going. But there's many working parts to the aviation industry, and I appreciate the sentiment that your former attendee on the show just made. But look, that's in Barnaby's area, so I'll hand it over to him.
CHRIS KENNY:
Look, David, you mentioned you're in lockdown. There's now four cases in the act. The other three are close contacts of the original- the original infection, so they would have been isolating already. We've got lockdowns right across western and northern New South Wales. Victoria locked down. As a medico, do you think we are overdoing the zero COVID policy now, given the levels of vaccination, the high levels of protection for vulnerable communities, the fact that obviously it takes time for the virus to spread? Shouldn't we be having a lighter touch now to make sure some of the dire consequences for other health issues and economic and social issues don't flow through too deeply?
DAVID GILLESPIE:
Look, I follow your logic and I admire it, but at the moment, I don't think whilst, like the ACT has got a pretty good percentage done compared to other states that are lagging - we need a country-wide level before we can start lifting restrictions.
Maybe in New South Wales, we'll get there first, but the other states are catching up. And look, there's been a joint decision made at National Cabinet about the 70 per cent, and then the 80 per cent. I just want to make sure that the Premiers have locked in that agreement and that they honour it, because I don't want to see these levels reached and then they back out and go away from what has been decided.
CHRIS KENNY:
But you talk about following the logic and appreciating my logic. The idea that you go clamping so hard down on the country to get zero COVID and then suddenly you get to 70 per cent- what, we're just going to accept a bit of COVID outbreaks and hospitalisations and deaths then? It seems insane to have that polarity. Surely, we should be starting to learn to live with a degree of COVID infection now, because that is our path forward. That is our unavoidable future.
DAVID GILLESPIE:
Look, I don't think anyone's trying to get zero COVID, again, like some states got. They want to get it down to a very low level, because we can see overseas in vaccinated countries how it can take off, but we aren't a big enough vaccinated proportion to be able to let it go wild.
CHRIS KENNY:
[Talks over] Okay, no, I understand that logic. And we know and we all know about the 70 per cent and 80 per cent targets. But when you say governments are not going for zero, I think that's clear that New South Wales has given up on zero. But you can't tell me that South Australia, West Australia, Victoria, Queensland aren't still completely committed to zero COVID.
DAVID GILLESPIE:
It looks like they're heading towards that aspiration, but at the moment, they've got it under control, so it's a lot easier for them to maintain that rather than the situation we find ourselves in now.
Look, it's a diabolical situation for everyone. There are pros and cons for everything that you said.
I hate to be trite, but we are all in this together, and that's why I think we've got to have a uniform approach.
If there is good control, I can see once we get more people vaccinated, we can take the pressure off trying to be absolutely sterile of COVID-19. I don't think that is a long-term solution. The sooner we get the vaccination rates up to that 70 per cent, the better we will all be.
And I look forward to more normal life and economy returning. But to just let it go now, we would frit away all the benefits that we have.
CHRIS KENNY:
Yeah, no one wants to let go. No one wants to let it rip. Everybody wants to control it. I appreciate that. Thanks, David. I appreciate your time.
DAVID GILLESPIE:
Okay, my pleasure.
CHRIS KENNY:
Dr David Gillespie there who's the Minister for Regional Health.
He's right, it's a diabolical problem. We don't pretend it's easy. It's all about picking the least worst option.
And I don't think what we're doing in most states now is the least worst option.