Politics

Politics with Mark Smith

With the vaccination rollout now in progress, focus will turn to how the Federal government manages its implementation.

There has already been a couple of missteps and the Prime Minister will want to ensure everything goes as smooth as possible. He is being rewarded personally in the polls for his handling of the COVID crisis, but this isn’t being translated into a lead for the Coalition, with Newspoll showing a 50/50 tie between them and the Labor party.

The NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, just seems to keep rolling on. Her handling of the Coronavirus is seen by many as the way forward. Not impulsively closing borders, but shutting down hotspots has worked well for most people in the state. However, businesses on the Northern Beaches may disagree; not necessarily with the lockdown, but with some sort of assistance package especially as the lockdown occurred at the busiest time over Christmas and New Year.

Governments can be excused for not being perfect in March 2020, but the state government was well prepared and knew exactly how businesses would be affected by shutting them down.

Assistance could have been forthcoming almost immediately, only now are we seeing the rollout of the Dine and Discover voucher program and this won’t cover all businesses, no where near it. No one I know is asking for a handout. Far from it.

Help with rent, electricity and a targeted implementation of JobKeeper, only for the lockdown period, are some ideas.

Nearly all the business owners I speak to feel forgotten about. With the end of JobKeeper and the reduction to JobSeeker, all businesses are waiting to see what happens next.

Followed by winter, this could spell the end for many Northern Beaches businesses. A $2000 up to $5000 grant is being discussed, but it’s still a way off. Too late to save some.

While no one is pretending this is an easy time, one expects governments to be better able to step in whenever the virus rears its ugly head again.

At the time of writing, there is the beginnings of a new problem for the PM and the entire parliament. Accusations of sexual harassment and even rape in the building are being reported in the press. Obviously this a societal issue, but we will be watching closely to see how our ‘leaders’ set an example for the rest of us on how to solve this ongoing crisis.

RIP CURL NARRABEEN CLASSIC APRIL 16-26

RIP CURL NARRABEEN CLASSIC PRESENTED BY CORONA.

The WSL is excited to have the Championship Tour come back to Australia this April. The CT tour will see the best surfers in the world competing at four Australian locations including our very own at Narrabeen Beach.

Over eleven days, 38 men and 18 women will compete in the Narrabeen event. The likes of Kelly Slater, as well as reigning World Champ Italo Ferreira and two-time Champ Gabriel Medina will be in the men’s mix. John John Florence, Julian Wilson, Mikey and Owen Wright are just a few, also competing in the mens division.

Aussie Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright will be competing against Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and America’s Lakey Peterson.

ey Pe

i Check out this Championship tour by visiting hi ihisCham www.worldsurfl eague.com rfl esur m