Thank you to all for signing our petition.

As we enter 2021, the need for the Recall provisions looms with a new urgency.

COVID is back (never went away really) and so will the exercise of unfettered powers by the State.

We are not opposed to the concept of lockdowns or other measures as a necessity to control this virus. We are opposed to unrealistic applications of the Health Orders without proper consideration of the impact on everybody.

The scary bit is that having tasted the power that the COVID epidemic has provided, will our politicians resume normality when the crisis is over?

Given that the current alarm is based on an infection rate somewhere near 1:1Million in Victoria, it is hard to justify the panicked response, particularly that there are no new cases today, the 1st of January.

Sudden hard border shutdowns and the impact that has created on many Victorian families who were encouraged by the Government to holiday in Australia, is just another overreach by Governments with a whiff of political advantage.

Returning travellers could be tested at the border and sent home to await results, a far more realistic and measured approach. Albeit increasing the risk, it would be minimal. Knowing that all returning Victorians were tested would dramatically mitigate that minimal risk and remove the need for a panicked return clogging our roads and disrupting lives. A far more orderly return of Holidaymakers would be achieved.

The purpose of the Recall or Direct Democracy proposal is not solely directed at the COVID issue. But, the broader issue of Governments exceeding their mandate, or not performing as well as they should.

You would have to wonder if the Recall concept had been available to the electorate, whether the Government would be so cavalier with our rights and freedoms. Perhaps they would have been forced to be more creative in combating this disease.

The need to suspend Parliament was justified by the pandemic running at 700 per day infections, now with zero cases for two months and a resurgence of less than 10. How can the suspension of our Parliament be further justified? It would have been smarter to stop politicians politicking and not engaging face to face with their electorate.

We need to pursue the Recall with renewed vigour so we ask again for your help to encourage as many as you can to sign our petition.

Your efforts, last time we asked resulted in a surge, and we thank you for that, but we need to push again. There is an option to sign the petition without a donation if that deters some.

You can check us out at caainc.org.au to understand more about our group.