I WAS driving past a building site in Mildura this week when I spotted three young blokes wrestling and having a bit of fun.
They noticed me and quickly separated, as if I had caught them red-handed with their hands in the cookie jar.
With strict social distancing laws in place, these lads knew they were doing something wrong, even if their actions were seemingly innocent.
But these are strange times we are living in, where some workplaces are packed with people and others have been left empty.
The economic impact of the coronavirus has been like a tornado that has ripped through the country and flattened many industries, while leaving others standing.
And it has largely been dependent on what industries governments have decided can and can’t remain open.
While most Australians are happy to abide by the strict social distancing conditions — understanding that our government’s tough stance is ultimately saving lives — there remains much contradiction about what is and isn’t allowed.
I have a mate in Geelong who is one of more than 200 workers on a building site, yet he can’t go out and play golf by himself or with another person, not even his own child.
Our supermarkets remain busy, yet a tennis coach isn’t allowed to earn an income by hitting balls to someone on the other side of a net.
You can enter a big hardware store on a Saturday afternoon, but you can’t take drop a line into the Murray River for a quiet fish — even by yourself.
None of it passes the common sense test.
While it is a tough balancing act for our federal and state governments, there is too much mixed messaging going on.
Golf is a classic example.
On the NSW side of the Murray River, golf is permitted, albeit under strict social distancing measures, which players are abiding by at the Coomealla course.
But, on the Victorian side, golf is banned. Why?
It’s not a contact sport, it’s easy enough to not shake hands or get too close to who you are playing with, so what is the logic?
Sam Newman has waged his own personal war with Daniel Andrews on the issue, marching to parliament to demand answers about why golf courses had been shut across Victoria but remained open in other states.
Understandably, the Victorian Premier isn’t overly concerned with Sam’s opinion. But does Sam not have a point, particularly when horse racing (and therefore revenue from gambling taxes for the government) is permitted?
And then there is the confusion with our schools, with the NSW Government this week announcing it would open schools one day a week, while Victoria remains committed to home education where possible.
If allowing mass gatherings of people to pick up and drop off kids at school is OK for one day a week, why not all five?
The problem, of course, lies with different rules for different state governments, which is contradicting the messaging from the Federal Government.
Australians have proven they are willing to follow their leaders in this crisis, but who are we following right now? In this time of crisis, governments at all levels need to work together to lessen the confusion and be more consistent.
As it stands, builders are wrestling on packed building sites, while instead of playing an individual sport on a Saturday, Victorian golfers are joining the long queues at Bunnings.
