Thread by @drgregkelly

Democracy is messy. Australia's #COVID19 response worked because ppl at the top, Nick Coatsworth & Morrison included, were able to bend to pressure when needed. That's something to be proud of

Yes, things happened slowly & avoidable harms occurred

Therefore attacking ppl that made success possible tarnishes legacy & reputation rather than defending it. Few direct points:

1. Advocating at risk to career, employment & reputation is not a feature of narcissism

Being thin skinned and offended by challenges to authority is

2. Denial that denial of #COVIDisAirborne occurred "positions of both sides..are similar"

Here is saying "it's definitely not airborne" & excerpt from letter from gov he was copied in saying only happens under experimental, not real world conditions

This is becoming post truth

3. Ah - there's no such thing as 'Health Advice'

Doctors never say 'well what's the health advice?' We ask discuss the evidence & how that might apply. Debate. That's science. Pretending there is some objective truth is just a way of dressing up authority & preventing challenge

4. Wonderful that Nick reflected that the Australian community had "willingness to hear and respond to what we (i.e. gov) have had to say to it."

That's ALL that the medical community was asking of our state and federal governments

5. The aw-shucks-we-got-it-wrong comment about 30 min haircuts is an insult to HCW. No one complained about haircuts.

Ppl complained about airborne, inadequate PPE, bad quarantine & risk from using the AZ vaccine w no community transmission

Each of these issues was downplayed

6. Aggrieved pleading to communicate through proper channels ignores what happened

Aug 2020 we painstakingly collected 1000 real life stories of inadequate PPE from HCWs & sent it to Nick. Silence

Months later complained of ppl using 'megaphones' rather than correct channels

7. Refusal to respect, let alone commit to better HCW protections & PPE

The 'zero HCW infections' target didn't come out of thin air, we pulled it from campaigns about workplace & road safety. To pretend it is 'most extreme' disregards the lives of HCWs & family

The ONLY thing that separates Australia’s #COVID19 response from UK, Canada, etc is that HCWs here broke ranks early, got organised & spoke up & gov responded

The ppl that Nick is attacking are, ironically, the reason Nick has a good reputation to defend

Sad he can’t see that

Yes borders helped & done early by gov alone. But lots places did borders & had catastrophes

Borders alone consistent w belief that #COVID19 “over there” happening to “them” rather than “here” happening to “us” & also that we are like those others & could/should learn &follow

And finally, re. the medical students comment:

Thousands, esp young woman of colour who we need TONS MORE OF in medicine, looked at key rebels Professors @rajah_mich & Raina Macintyre @Globalbiosec & thought “I want to be just like that!”

I know I did. Inspirational leadership