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This is mostly interesting because NZ has explicitly pursued a strategy of COVID elimination, while Australia has followed a suppression strategy. While recentl

This is mostly interesting because NZ has explicitly pursued a strategy of COVID elimination, while Australia has followed a suppression strategy. While recently the effects have been broadly similar (small outbreaks generally quickly contained and stamped out using short regional lockdowns and contact tracing), it's fair to say that a lot of people here in NZ are uncomfortable with this. That said, this isn't just trying to get some tourist dollars into NZ. Given the large migration between the two countries there are lots of families which are split across the two who will now be able to visit their relatives - they'll be pretty happy to see this news.

josephg 6y ago
The Australian federal government has been aiming for a suppression strategy while the states have been eliminating the virus any time it appears anyway. We’ve had a few minor outbreaks over the last 6 months, just like NZ - and each one has been eliminated down to 0 cases again. Just like NZ. Practically speaking our policies are pretty much the same. And if either country has covid start spreading, I’m sure the international border will close again just like our interstate borders.
- spindle 6y ago
  Exactly, and almost all of the relevant government people are organised by state rather than federally.
  - accountofme 6y ago
    In aus, federal govt cares about economic issues... State govt are responsible for public health. Thus the differences in strategy are apparent.
    - Khaine 6y ago
      Not quite. The federal government is responsible for primary care (i.e. seeing your GP through Medicare, Pharmaceuticals through the PBS) and aged care. States are responsible for Hospitals
tjmc 6y ago
All Australian states other than New South Wales have adopted an elimination strategy as well. Here in Western Australia, we recently had a 5 day lockdown due to a single case of community transmission.
roca 6y ago
In practice Australia has implemented an elimination strategy. For some reason they don't want to say so.
- jfoster 6y ago
  My take on it is that the government may think that under an elimination strategy any community transmission events would be perceived as failures. The other possibility might be that earlier on in the pandemic they may have thought that a suppression strategy was possible, but it turned out that it's infectious enough and behaves randomly enough (eg. occasionally huge clusters, many cases asymptomatic) that it really doesn't allow much room for suppression strategies & elimination strategies to be much different from each other.
  - roca 6y ago
    You're probably right on both counts. I think community transmission is already seen as a failure whether the government likes it or not, so they might as well call it elimination.
markdown 6y ago
> That said, this isn't just trying to get some tourist dollars into NZ. I heard that the NZ tourism industry had one of its best years yet in 2020 with all the domestic tourism that went on.
- dzhiurgis 6y ago
  Something 90% of tourism of NZ is domestic, so we don't really need more tourists that much. We do indeed need more immigrants and more housing. First one won't happen as managed isolation facilities will be closed, vaccination is unclear at what stage and skilled-migrant visa class is abolished. Second won't happen as government (incl. Jacinda) is committed to protecting investors from going into negative equity.
  - roca 6y ago
    > Something 90% of tourism of NZ is domestic, Possibly true by numbers, but in 2018-2019 tourism revenue was about 60/40 domestic/international. https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/tourism-satellite-account-2019 https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/tourism-satel... > skilled-migrant visa class is abolished I don't think that's true. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/skilled-migrant-category-resident-visa https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-... > government (incl. Jacinda) is committed to protecting investors from going into negative equity. I would have agreed with you until last week's announcements, but Labour has clearly decided to not chase the votes of property investors.
    - dzhiurgis 6y ago
      Skilled migrant visa is turning into accredited employer visa. Many of my friends who live here are stuck with draconian employers and with salaries they make there's absolutely 0 sight to buy a house. > Labour has clearly decided to not chase the votes of property investors. Still investors can use equity as deposit which is gonna keep the train moving up. Plus silly cost of subdividing means you have dairy enjoying million dollar views.
- 6y ago
Gatsky 6y ago
In the state of Victoria, nearly seven million people were locked down hard for 112 days last year, going from a peak of 6768 active cases to zero. That ain’t suppression.

josephg 6y ago

The Australian federal government has been aiming for a suppression strategy while the states have been eliminating the virus any time it appears anyway. We’ve had a few minor outbreaks over the last 6 months, just like NZ - and each one has been eliminated down to 0 cases again. Just like NZ. Practically speaking our policies are pretty much the same. And if either country has covid start spreading, I’m sure the international border will close again just like our interstate borders.

spindle 6y ago
Exactly, and almost all of the relevant government people are organised by state rather than federally.
- accountofme 6y ago
  In aus, federal govt cares about economic issues... State govt are responsible for public health. Thus the differences in strategy are apparent.
  - Khaine 6y ago
    Not quite. The federal government is responsible for primary care (i.e. seeing your GP through Medicare, Pharmaceuticals through the PBS) and aged care. States are responsible for Hospitals

tjmc 6y ago

All Australian states other than New South Wales have adopted an elimination strategy as well. Here in Western Australia, we recently had a 5 day lockdown due to a single case of community transmission.

roca 6y ago

In practice Australia has implemented an elimination strategy. For some reason they don't want to say so.

jfoster 6y ago
My take on it is that the government may think that under an elimination strategy any community transmission events would be perceived as failures. The other possibility might be that earlier on in the pandemic they may have thought that a suppression strategy was possible, but it turned out that it's infectious enough and behaves randomly enough (eg. occasionally huge clusters, many cases asymptomatic) that it really doesn't allow much room for suppression strategies & elimination strategies to be much different from each other.
- roca 6y ago
  You're probably right on both counts. I think community transmission is already seen as a failure whether the government likes it or not, so they might as well call it elimination.

markdown 6y ago

> That said, this isn't just trying to get some tourist dollars into NZ. I heard that the NZ tourism industry had one of its best years yet in 2020 with all the domestic tourism that went on.

dzhiurgis 6y ago
Something 90% of tourism of NZ is domestic, so we don't really need more tourists that much. We do indeed need more immigrants and more housing. First one won't happen as managed isolation facilities will be closed, vaccination is unclear at what stage and skilled-migrant visa class is abolished. Second won't happen as government (incl. Jacinda) is committed to protecting investors from going into negative equity.
- roca 6y ago
  > Something 90% of tourism of NZ is domestic, Possibly true by numbers, but in 2018-2019 tourism revenue was about 60/40 domestic/international. https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/tourism-satellite-account-2019 https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/tourism-satel... > skilled-migrant visa class is abolished I don't think that's true. https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/skilled-migrant-category-resident-visa https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-... > government (incl. Jacinda) is committed to protecting investors from going into negative equity. I would have agreed with you until last week's announcements, but Labour has clearly decided to not chase the votes of property investors.
  - dzhiurgis 6y ago
    Skilled migrant visa is turning into accredited employer visa. Many of my friends who live here are stuck with draconian employers and with salaries they make there's absolutely 0 sight to buy a house. > Labour has clearly decided to not chase the votes of property investors. Still investors can use equity as deposit which is gonna keep the train moving up. Plus silly cost of subdividing means you have dairy enjoying million dollar views.
6y ago

Gatsky 6y ago

In the state of Victoria, nearly seven million people were locked down hard for 112 days last year, going from a peak of 6768 active cases to zero. That ain’t suppression.