Opinion: Enforced isolation has made me treasure my freedom even more By Michael Esposito

Enforced isolation has made me treasure my freedom even more

MICHAEL ESPOSITO

Seeing the restrictions that have been imposed on Australians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic become the most intrusive and extreme in my lifetime has been a confronting experience.

Who thought we’d end up in a scenario where police can patrol the streets and break up picnics, order children off playgrounds, issue on the spot fines for standing too close to each other and take you to court for socialising?

While there is good reason for these temporary shackles being cast upon our collective way of life, it doesn’t mean we should not examine them with a critical eye.

Lawyers are often sceptical of laws enacted or proposed by government that curtail free expression, restrict our movement, invade our privacy and deny us the right to challenge decisions of the State, because of the unintended consequences they create. Governments have, over a number of years, gradually made legislative amendments that slowly but surely erode our rights and freedoms, usually in the name of national security.

Where the current freedom-curbing public health measures differ from say, some anti-terror laws, is that the COVID-19 orders are based on sound evidence as to their effectiveness in achieving a specific desired outcome – in this case to halt the spread of a highly infectious and deadly disease. The majority of Australians accept that the pandemic has the potential to be so catastrophic that the ends justify the means

Nevertheless, Australians are being asked to make incredible sacrifices in the pursuit of this objective.

We can no longer congregate in communal areas. Thousands of people have lost work, and many who are lucky enough to keep working have also had to supervise their children’s schooling, effectively ruling out “leisure time”. People cannot see their sick loved ones, and may never see them again. Couples’ marriage plans have been torn up, and people are unable farewell departed family members in the way they want to. Everyone has been confined to their homes, and for

some people that means the harrowing reality of being trapped with an abuser. Isolation is amplifying mental health struggles for many.

The social connections that sustain and nourish us as humans has been severely diminished.

The point is, we can understand, agree with and comply with these oppressive restrictions, but that doesn’t mean Government decrees should go unquestioned, regardless of their motive.

We should demand that our leaders clearly articulate the reasons why they are imposing these measures, and we should expect authorities to educate the public about their obligations under the new regime, especially when the goalposts are constantly shifting. With the fast-spreading virus necessitating swift action, laws that would normally been the subject of public consultation and in-depth parliamentary debate have been issued overnight in the form of far-reaching regulations.

Ignorance is no defence to breaking a law, but it must be unnerving for, say,