Poll - Victorians Think NSW Has Done A Better Job Managing COVID; Lockdowns Have Gone Too Far

A new poll of 1,042 Victorians commissioned by free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs finds that Victorians believe New South Wales has done a better job at managing the COVID-19 pandemic, while also growing weary over lockdowns.

The poll data was collected by marketing research firm Dynata between 1-7 October 2020. It asked Victorians to agree or disagree with the statement: “NSW has done a better job at managing the COVID-19 pandemic than Victoria.”

59% agree
25% neither agree nor disagree
16% disagree

“Victorians are looking north of the border and seeing a state that is able to quickly get on top of outbreaks, while allowing its residents to live relatively free lives with appropriate social distancing,” said Evan Mulholland, Director of Communications at the IPA.

“Mainstream Victorians are rightly wondering why Victoria can’t have the same successful system they have in NSW, which is based on risk-based, proportionate, and targeted interventions, rather than life and soul-destroying city-wide lockdowns.”

“The NSW government has managed to contain COVID-19 without inflicting the same economic, social, and humanitarian carnage as Daniel Andrews.”

“The Andrews Government has disfigured Victoria with more lockdowns to deal with the second wave unleashed by his catastrophic ineptitude with hotel quarantine and contact tracing,” said Mr Mulholland.

It also asked Victorians to agree or disagree with the statement: “The lockdowns were necessary and justified early on, but now they have gone too far.”

48% agree
17% neither agree nor disagree
35% disagree

“Victorians are growing weary of the draconian lockdown measures. It’s time to give people back their lives.”

“The best available domestic and international evidence points to the conclusion that, over the long term, lockdowns are not effective mechanisms for containing the spread of COVID-19, but impose significant social, cultural, and economic costs.”

“The Victorian Government must use Sunday’s press conference to lift all remaining lockdown measures and replace them with proportionate, risk-based, targeted measures based on maintaining medical capacity. The elimination strategy currently being pursued means no jobs, no freedom, and no hope for mainstream Victorians,” said Mr Mulholland.

Download the polling.