Prime Minister Scott Morrison emerged from the first of a pair of vital National Cabinet meetings this week seemingly quite bullish on the prospect of Australia’s lockdown conditions easing from this Friday onwards.
The Prime Minister is attempting to wrangle state leaders into one single plan of attack in regards to rolling back coronavirus restrictions, ahead of a major announcement on the subject that’s currently scheduled for this coming Friday.
While certain states have begun individual restriction rollbacks – in the case of the Northern Territory going so far as to lay out a complete roadmap out of lockdowns that will see pubs and spectator sporting events back open to the public by mid-June – Morrison front media this afternoon confident that a “consistent national position” was achievable.
In amongst providing a short lecture on the difference between Federal and State authorities – one he’s routinely given to media since distancing his Government from any direct Federal responsibility for Australia’s bushfire crisis response – Morrison asserted that he expects that “on Friday there will be some restrictions formally eased.”
Morrison stated “So what you can expect on Friday, again, I will seek to have as consistent national position as possible, but ultimately each state and territories are the arbiters of their own position, but I have no doubt they will seek to do that and as consistent a way as possible.”
Noting that several states, including New South Wales and Western Australia, have already begun a slow peel back of social isolation restrictions, Morrison stated “I would expect that on Friday there will be some restrictions formally eased which many states have already moved on.”
“Others I get to move on,” the PM continued, “[and] I think that framework will assist states but our hope that where we get to on Friday can lay out much more of the roadmap for Australians so they can see what is happening for weeks and months ahead.”
It’s unclear at this stage just what provisions will be included in Friday’s Federal announcement – Victoria in particular is remaining outwardly resistant to embracing similar early restriction rollbacks for the time being – however as the country inches closer towards a stage where they can occur, it’s patently obvious that those in charge have shifted their priorities back to economic, and not so much public health, concerns.
