IF Australia prides itself on a culture of “fair go”, then state premiers should be ashamed of their treatment of their fellow Australians living in border towns.
This week it was South Australian Premier Steven Marshall’s turn to ramp up his Kick a Vic campaign when he locked down even harder on the SA border.
While there may be no votes for Mr Marshall in tiny Victorian towns like Murrayville, his decision has left these rural residents in a complete state of limbo.
Murrayville relies heavily for services and supplies on neighbouring Pinnaroo, which is on the SA side of the border.
Yet Mr Marshall, in his grandstanding for popularity in Adelaide, has shown no understanding or empathy in shutting them out.
People who work on the other side but are not deemed “essential” are being denied access.
Residents are facing heading back 100km to Ouyen just to get petrol — they can’t get their car serviced, use childcare, or go to school, unless they are in Years 11 and 12.
There is even the crazy situation where Australia Post has been forced to redirect mail to the Murrayville post office from the Pinnaroo post office.
This misplaced parochialism among states at the moment tears at the fabric of our national identity.
State premiers are being urged to sort out “serious border issues” amid fears of soaring grocery prices and unworkable conditions for businesses.
And then there are the health concerns.
The SA Government is still not granting exemption for health specialists to travel into a Mildura bubble and help people — as they have been doing for years — without quarantining for two weeks on their return home.
Yes, Mr Marshall, the lady in pain waiting for a hip replacement in Mildura may not be a vote-catcher for you in Adelaide, but that doesn’t make your hard-line stance right. It shows a distinct lack of compassion and understanding. It’s downright un-Australian.
