Dear ,

You're receiving this email because you signed our open letter to Australian Governments calling for the opening of borders, and because you said you were happy to receive emails from us.

This is a list of some, but not all, of the significant things that have happened recently that could be relevant to you.

If you know of anyone who might agree with the sentiments of our open letter, please send them the URL: https://aip.asn.au/2020/06/open-up-our-country-sign-the-open-letter. Fresh signatures are being added daily as people come to understand how futile these lockdowns are. While governments are gradually opening-up their states, we need to keep the pressure on so that they don't repeat this disastrous experiment again.

• The WHO has changed its stance on lockdowns and no longer recommends lockdowns, except as an occasional measure.  So "following the science" is not what Daniel Andrews, or most Australian governments, is doing.
• Ramesh Thakur, former Assistant-Secretary General to the UN, and currently a professor at ANU in the College of Asia and the Paific has put together this excellent webinar setting out the case against lockdowns on YouTube.
• Sanjeev Sabhlok, the courageous economist who quit the Victorian Treasury on principle, has produced “Paper for Griffith” and published this book.
• A Facebook group called “End the Lockdown Australia” has been organised at https://www.facebook.com/groups/endthelockdownaustralia/. Quoting from organiser Tim Flynn, “The End The Lockdown Australia Group was established in mid-April 2020 and was set up to allow ordinary Australians to feel comfortable debating the merits of government policy from an economic and societal perspective. My rationale for establishing the group is included in my submission to the Senate inquiry into the management of COVID (submission 377) . The group now has 4,200 members; it would have been much larger but we have a policy of deterring conspiracy theorists and extremists. Two cross bench members of the Victorian upper house are active members, as are several prominent journalists.”
• Economist Henry Ergas published this beautifully written piece in The Australian recently.
• A Catholic bishop in America has spoken out publicly against lockdowns.
• Sibby Ilzhofer (sibby3@msn.com) is helping to organise small businesses that are interested in joining forces with others in a collective effort to lodge affidavits with the Victorian and New South Wales governments, affirming the damage of lockdowns.  If you or people known to you are involved in a small business and looking to re-open but are struggling due to governmental restrictions – including but not limited to lockdowns – please email Sibby for further information about how to get involved.
• On a drier academic front, Professor Gigi Foster, one of the authors of our letter, has published this paper, documenting some of the costs of the lockdowns to the present and future Australian labour market, in the Australian Journal of Labour Economics.  She will also be giving an address at the Economic Society of Australia on 26 October, in which she will speak amongst other things about the failure of her profession in what should have been its finest hour – advertisement here.

Regards,

Graham Young
Executive Director