Groundhog Day
Dear ,
When you signed our petition to reopen borders we were all thinking this COVID nightmare might last a year or two, but like the movie Groundhog Day, each morning when the alarm goes off, nothing seems to have changed. Lockouts might be shorter, but they are still being imposed, and in most states for a number of infections that should be easily contained with good contact tracing.
Nevertheless people are still carrying on the fight, and I've set out information you might be able to use below. If we are getting tired, so is everyone. This could be just the moment before things are wrenched back closer to normal.
But before you read the links, I'd like to make a small advertisement to those who live in Queensland. Our think tank, the Australian Institute for Progress, is concerned about many issues. One of those is the level of censorship that enables the sorts of COVID policies we have had to endure. It has many manifestations, and a number of names, but in the area of public debate one of them is "cancel culture".
So if you're concerned about COVID you may be interested in attending the Brisbane launch of a new collection of essays called Cancel Culture and the Long March of the Left. It will be launched by the Hon Tony Abbott AC (who is one of the few Australian politicians to advocate for more sensible policies on COVID).
It is on Wednesday Jul 6 at 12:00 for 12:30 pm in the Brisbane Club, and is a two course meal with all drinks included. You can book by going to https://cancel_culture.eventbrite.com.au. The cost is $165 a head, but if you use the promotional code COVID it is reduced to $135.
COVID links and information (courtesy of Professor Gigi Foster)
The most careful cost-benefit analysis of lockdowns for Australia that I have yet seen is “The Costs and Benefits of a Covid Lockdown-6”, penned by Martin T. Lally of New Zealand, who comes to the firm conclusion that the Covid lockdowns were not worth it. Douglas Allen has also produced “Lockdown Report”, concluding that lockdowns may go down in history as one of Canada’s greatest peacetime policy disasters.
Legal news
The following page also featuring Dr Reiner Fuellmich contains, if you scroll down, some useful argumentation against lockdowns: A Facebook group of Australian lawyers: Some useful information, evidence, and analyses by those on the North American continent: And staying on that continent, the transcript of a speech by a kindred spirit in the US: A couple of heartening pieces from the Wall Street Journal: The American Institute for Economic Research and its writers continue to publish sensible and useful stuff on Covid lockdowns: The Spectator as well has published some quality pieces during this period – a recent one is here, by Ramesh Thakur: The Spectator as well has published some quality pieces during this period – a recent one is here, by Ramesh Thakur: Pieter den Heten passes along information about the group he created to help advocate for Australians stranded overseas during the Covid period, called the Stranded Aussies Action Network (https://strandedaussies.com/). Some key extracts of SAAN's mission statement:
The Stranded Aussies Action Network (SAAN) is an initiative that formed in January 2021 when the Australian government halved its international arrivals caps. SAAN's objective is to make the critical facts and figures widely known and to provide tools to help all of those impacted to advocate for themselves and their loved ones.
SAAN's founders – the authors of the strandedaussies.com website and resources – are volunteers, currently in different parts of the world, who have been impacted by Australia's travel ban. They understand the experience of being locked out of their home country.
SAAN is an informal network that is not politically partisan. It is not affiliated with any other group or initiative other than removethecap.com. Its founders are not involved in any proposed legal actions or rescue flights. SAAN requires no membership and it will not collect or store names or personal information. It will not collect money.
SAAN's objective is to empower those impacted by the travel ban. It provides the informal means for all of those affected to form a unified force that can compel political leaders to act.
From the academy: Some recent media appearances of Gigi Foster: Some turning of the corner in the mainstream Australian press (though I also note that Adam Creighton, who has been one of the staunchest advocates in Australian journalism of abandoning the lockdown approach, has recently moved to the US, taking up a new post as the Washington DC correspondent for The Australian): Some inspiration from the music world: This group is particularly active and probably should have been in earlier emails: Finally, some information on vaccines, vaccine passports, testing, masking, anti-Covid prophylaxis, and other interventions being implemented or discussed in the public space:
My commiserations to those of you who are in Victoria, and let's keep up the fight.
Regards,
GRAHAM YOUNG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR PROGRESS
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