To open or not to open? That was the question!
January 27, 2022
Since the State Government’s announcement to delay the opening of the borders, we’ve been hard at work keeping our finger on the pulse to determine community support for the decision. Our findings have again uncovered West Australian sentiment towards this divisive decision and made their way into the West Australian.
We asked two questions, the first being: “Do you support Mark McGowan’s decision to delay lifting WA’s hard border?” There was strong support for the decision, with 71% of respondents voicing their agreement with the border backflip. The second question asked was: “To what extent do you agree the McGowan Government could have done more to prepare WA to open up on February 5?” This saw 51% agree that the Government could have done more, while only 29% disagree and thought that there was nothing else that they could have done prior to this moment.
So, while the result of our first question is quite the endorsement of McGowan, as has been the tale of the tape, the outcome of the latter indicates another side to the story. While there is a sense of relief for the hard border remaining and McGowan’s decision, there’s a big chunk of West Aussies who believe not enough was done in the lead up to prepare us for February 5. Only time will tell what’s to come, but for now, the hard border is here to stay…
