What I said was NSW had numerous cases found by people presenting to be tested, some remained unlinked and some were linked after the test.
NSW had few of these wheras Vic had hundreds of such cases. You like to keep measuring from October to ignore the basket case that Vic was, then nitpick on NSW for finding cases by testing rather than predicting every single case, again ignoring fact that the worker who seeded a lot of the current cases did so at a function after workplace test results were read wrong and told they were negative.
You bring up NSW seeding Black Rock (no serious consequences) forgetting Vic seeded Crossways, Batemans Bay and Thai Rock, the last death in NSW was due to Vic seeding. Yes an unknowingly positive NB NSW case went to QLD, but you neglect to mention she acted immediately on NSW health advice to test (which proved difficult in Qld at the time) and returned home (driving herself so not risking others) - so no reason to close border, when you can target people who have been in areas of concern (via a mix of tracing and public health orders and meda / community communications).
I like most in NSW are ok with finding extra cases via testing its the whole reason its offered. Its better than locking a whole state down because you are scared there might be a single case. If you only test those you identify through tracing, you increase risk, as someone may not have checked in or forgot who visited a house - people lie, free no fault testing has been a key sucess. The need to book a test appointment in some states is a deterrent. In NSW you just turn up. Having a nsw health order to get tested bumps your sample up the queue for results processing but all (even asymptomatic hypercondriacs) can get tested.
Yes Australia has done brilliantly on a world scale but it predominantly due to closed international border and HQ and the abject failures of many other countries to take any action until things were crticial. Its not hard to look good comparing oneself to countries who didnt take any real action.
The only international comparison relevant to Australia are those who took similar swift action early on arrivals, hwve check ins and good testing. That means NZ, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand not USA, Brazil, UK.
BUT it becuase we are an island and can effectively reduce most risk of the virus being reseeded from arrivals, we can be less restrictive domestically.
At a state level the performance (and impact of decisons) varies widely, so comparison is relevant. We should be ashamed of the majority of state border closures, as a gross over reaction. We should be apalled at Premiers denigrating fellow Australians living in another state or overseas, shame them for being insular and making lazy choices of shutting down rather than tackling shortcomings in HQ (proper PPE especially) earlier. Our economic recovery should have been quicker and damage to domestic tourism far less.
I do not think history will look kindly on one state comprising 27% of population being responsible for 90% of deaths and 70% cases and not taking fair share of arrivals (and risk). We will be paying for the poor choices of the Premiers in terms of huge debt, job losses and mental scars for a very long time. Those who will have to service that debt and had their livelihoods decimated will continue to be burdened with results of disproportionate responses.
Vacccine or no when breaches at quarantine happen (or international borders reopen) there will be cases, and some of those cases may still be serious, some people may still die. We have to accept some risk and do everything we can to keep thing open domestically, not have rolling uncertainty and forever waiting for unrealistic goal of zero.
I am sceptical given past and present behaviour of Vic, WA and Qld Premiers in particular that vaccine roll-out is going to see any material change to their attitudes toward risk this year.
Life is riddled with risk, we need proportionate risk responses, otherwise we arent living. Im sick of parts of life being unnecessarily on hold. Im sick of being unable to reliably plan because of inconsistent behaviour of other states.
For me personally even though i live in NSW the Vic shutdowns saw me firstly miss out on a promotion because of being unable to reliably travel there, then a few months later lose my job altogether. And I am only one of a very many who remain critical of the ineptitude initially and then over reaction lately having far reaching impacts well outside Vics own backyard.
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