Illawarra workers who may not have a shift or job waiting for them after lockdown, were now paying the ultimate price for the federal and state governments' poor handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
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So said South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris, who implored Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stop "playing games with people's lives and livelihoods".
"NSW and our region have found out the hard way that this virus does not respect gold standards, does not respect voodoo economics or ideology. We are now in lockdown and we are paying the price for not moving fast enough," Mr Rorris said.
"There is no economy if there is no healthy workforce and community.
"We know this, and yet the governments state and federal have dropped the ball. They did not vaccinate us in time and they certainly did not move to take lockdown measures when they were required."
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However, the union boss said now was not the time to "cry over spilt milk", as there was much to be done to protect communities and ensure that the workers of the Illawarra didn't pay for another COVID crisis and lockdown on their own.
"The first question we have for the federal government is how do they expect the workers of this region who are not able to go to work, who may be stood down, who may not have a job or a shift waiting for them, to survive on $300 and $500 for at least two weeks, and quite possibly longer than that," Mr Rorris asked.
Don't play games with people's lives and people's livelihoods Mr Morrison.
- South Coast Labour Council secretary Arthur Rorris
"That is an insult. That is the government yet again trying to count beans at a time when we are getting absolutely snowed under by this virus.
"We need a system in place that is better targetted certainly than last time."
Mr Rorris didn't want the big end of town to rip off the system but he also wanted to ensure workers didn't have to survive on less than a minimum wage either.
"And we don't want the mass confusion that exists when you say to retailers around the state, including in this region, that the government is not stopping them from opening their doors on the one hand and yet saying to their customers don't go out of your house except for essential reasons.
"We can't have it both ways, and we need clarity.
"If you don't want people to go into specialty shops or things that may not be considered essential, than say that, and compensate both the small businesses and their workers appropriately.
"Don't play games with people's lives and people's livelihoods Mr Morrison."
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Mr Rorris also urged the government to own up to its mistakes and stop blaming transport and aged care frontline workers every time there's a COVID outbreak.
"Instead of owning up to having stuffed up the vaccine rollout, the government is now somehow trying to suggest that it is the frontline workers fault. Well, we are sick of that," he said.
"It is about time the government actually implemented something directly, took responsibility and ensured that it was actually rolled out in a timely and effective way, because no one is going to cop their deflections and excuses anymore."
The fact that the government has waited a year plus into this crisis before it even considers having quarantine sites away from hotels and those populations is culpable.
Mr Rorris said the government needed to urgently get rid of the hotel quarantine system which has "let us down time and time again".
"The fact that the government has waited a year plus into this crisis before it even considers having quarantine sites away from hotels and those populations is culpable," he said.
"It is not a time now for the government to try and save face and point to different sites.
"Agree to the state proposals, they're in a position to make those decisions best, let's get this done and get it done quickly.
"The cost of not addressing the ultimate gap in our defences, which is the hotel quarantine system, will far outweigh whatever it takes to build those structures and those facilities."
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
