It’s not much of a stretch to suggest that Prime Minister Scott Morrison hasn’t exactly been crystal clear in his messaging lately. The PM has fronted press cameras in the dead of night virtually every night so far this week to give various meandering, unclear updates on what businesses are being permitted to stay open and what ones are being ordered to close as part of on-going coronavirus shutdowns. Last night’s press conference, however, was so all over the bloody shop that it even managed to lose Shane Warne.
Following Morrison’s press appearance – which began at 9:20pm AEDT – Warne made his thoughts on the matter far clearer than any of Morrison’s, taking to Twitter to torch the PM’s address as a “shocker.”
Morrison announced various increased shutdown measures last night, but mixed messages and meandered through topics to the point where confusion was the prevailing emotion coming out of it. Among the litany of contradictory announcements was the restriction of weddings to 5 people, but private training groups are allowed 10, ordering beauty salons to close but allowing hairdressers and barbers to remain open provided no customer spends any longer than just 30 minutes inside, and the whole brouhaha surrounding shopping centres which practically defied belief.
Initially, Morrison suggested that shopping centres and malls should close, including food courts, unless individual food outlets were offering takeaway, in which case they could operate that. A few minutes later he walked back on that, suggesting shopping centres could stay open, actually, although the food court areas would still close, again unless they were doing takeaway.
So… an entire Westfield can, for the moment, remain open. But a small corner bar has to close up. Makes total sense.
Following the press conference, Warnie twisted no words in expressing how dumbfounded he was about the whole shebang, joining the litany of voices calling for a full lockdown of the country.
Listening to the PM like everyone here in Aust & what I understood was.
“It’s essential. Unless it’s not. Then it’s essentially not essential. I can’t be clearer” Plus people can buy a new shirt at a shopping centre ? WTF? PM just had a shocker. Surely should be in lockdown now— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 24, 2020
I tell you what, when you’ve lost The Spin King, you’ve lost the nation.
Warne went further, suggesting that Morrison’s almost allergic relationship to clear and concise messaging was costing Australia dearly.
Ps I know it’s impossible to please everyone as PM at the moment, but surely clear rules and lockdown for Australia as of NOW is the only decision – end of. Let’s learn from the mistakes other countries have made. Health has to be the most important thing for everyone !
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) March 24, 2020
No doubt about it, we’re all – much like 36 of Warnie’s 708 Test Cricket victims – absolutely stumped.
