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It would be unwise of the media to uncritically amplify @ScottMorrisonMP talking up the NSW response to #COVID19 as part of his attack on @DanielAndrewsMP et al & the Victorian response. For starters...
He is playing a short-term political game when the outcomes of the NSW response are still unfolding. Many in NSW must be anxious about the cases in healthcare workers at Sydney hospitals: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-07/nsw-coronavirus-four-new-infections-confirmed/12635872
Would be interested to hear what public health people in NSW think of the PM's statements, given that the decision to keep NSW "open for business" is being driven by political & economic considerations. How much more difficult has this approach made the work of #publichealth?
Fed Health Dept Secretary Prof Brendan Murphy made the point yesterday that NSW has "a proud history of many, many years of advanced investment in public health": https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-australian-parliament-house-act-070920
Which is the perfect opening for journalists to ask the question: what about the history of the Federal Govt's contribution to national public health capacity? A few relevant links from the @CroakeyNews archives to follow...
What are the implications for the pandemic response in 2020 of the axing of Health Workforce Australia in 2014? https://www.croakey.org/health-workforce-is-a-critical-policy-area-so-what-will-be-the-impact-of-axing-health-workforce-australia/
In fact, it's hard to go past 2014 and the far-reaching impacts of that dreadful slash and burn budget when considering the Coalition Govt's track record on public health. https://insidestory.org.au/the-politics-of-prevention/
These opening lines to a 2014 article by @stephenjduckett resonate: "Maybe there is a parallel universe where the Commonwealth and states work in harmony to improve the health and health care of Australians....
"But that is a vision unlikely to be realised in Australia for years to come, after the 2014 federal budget took a wrecking ball to trust in Commonwealth-state relations": @stephenjduckett https://www.croakey.org/after-the-wrecking-ball-budget-what-hope-is-there-for-collaborative-health-reform-efforts/
plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same…
