When aged care workers were told they must be vaccinated to keep their jobs, they didn't hurl rocks at police. When nurses were told they too must be jabbed, they didn't occupy a freeway or a war memorial.
In different states teachers, paramedics, airport and hotel quarantine staff are all required to be vaccinated. None have responded with violence.
So why have construction workers in Melbourne reacted with such fury? Was it because they were given such little notice of the requirement to get a jab? Sure, two weeks isn't much time, but this hardly justifies the scenes of anarchy and mayhem on the streets this week.
Nor is the snap shutdown of the industry for a fortnight comparable to what so many others have lost during this pandemic. The retail, hospitality, tourism, and arts sectors have done it far worse.
So why have Melbourne's hi-vis men (and they are overwhelmingly men) gone berserk?
It's important to note, the overwhelming majority have not. Victoria is home to more than 300,000 construction workers. An estimated 2,000 were on the streets this week. By comparison, anti-WorkChoices rallies 15 years ago attracted 50,000-70,000 protesters in Melbourne alone.
This has not been a large gathering by historic standards. But it has been a violent one, bringing together a toxic cocktail of issues and interests. The grievances are many: vaccines, mandates, lockdowns, industry shutdowns, the CFMEU leadership, government and, it would seem, the police.
The make-up of this mob has been varied too: a combination of CFMEU members, hardcore anti-vaxxers, far-right agitators, anarchists and angry men.
The pressure cooker of Melbourne's lengthy lockdowns hasn't helped. Nor have some of those trying to exploit the politics of the moment.
ABC News: Nicole Asher
)So what went wrong?
Ideally, the Andrews government and CFMEU leadership should have been more sensitive to the anti-vax sentiment brewing in union ranks and engaged in more consultation.
More notice about vaccine mandates and clear evidence supporting an industry shutdown would have helped.
However, this hardly came out of the blue. The state's treasurer had put the industry "on notice" a week earlier about its "privileged position" in staying open, as concerns grew about rising case numbers and COVID breaches on building sites.
The Morrison government, meanwhile, appeared unsure which way to jump on this protest.
The Prime Minister and his colleagues condemned the violence. Some, however, also gave encouragement to the underlying grievance.
Housing Minister Michael Sukkar said the "chaotic and confusing" construction ban was not "appropriate or proportionate". His fellow Victorian, Education Minister Alan Tudge, tweeted about "basic freedoms [being] denied".
Neither voiced such concern about jobs and freedom when Gladys Berejiklian shut down the NSW construction sector for two weeks in July (with far fewer COVID cases in the community at the time).
Unsurprisingly, the anti-lockdown, anti-mask wearing LNP backbencher George Christensen went much further, cheering on what he called the "freedom protesters" in Melbourne.
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash meanwhile took the opposite view, condemning "unacceptable thuggery" by the CFMEU and taking the opportunity again to demand Labor stop accepting the union's donations.
ABC News: Nicole Asher
)Contradictions on show
The reactions highlight the continuing conflict within the Coalition over lockdowns and vaccine mandates.
The Victorian lockdown is entirely in line with National Cabinet's re-opening plan, and Morrison technically supports the need for ongoing restrictions until vaccination targets are hit.
Yet Liberals in Victoria have bristled against business and school closures at every turn since the pandemic began. Their instinct is to side with anyone who opposes these restrictions.
Over the past 18 months, this has typically included the traditional small business owning base of the Liberal Party. Now there's the prospect of luring some hi-vis votes from Labor as well by expressing an "understanding of their frustration".
There's a similar contradiction on vaccine mandates. The Morrison government hand-balled the issue to the states, saying it was up to them to decide where mandates should apply.
There's been no criticism of Ms Berejiklian for applying mandates across a raft of areas, including construction. Yet some, including the Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations Amanda Stoker, have criticised Victoria's vaccine mandate for construction.
Stoker told the ABC's Afternoon Briefing program yesterday she opposed the mandate and believed "forcing a person against their will without taking them on a journey, is a mistake".
What about the frustrations of the majority?
The risk for Liberals in sending these anti-lockdown, anti-mandate messages is that they're playing to the wrong crowd; a small and noisy minority.
Most voters are clearly disgusted with the scenes in Melbourne this week, particularly the sight of unmasked, flag-waving protesters occupying the Shrine of Remembrance, co-opting powerful symbols of nationalism to their cause. The RSL was among those condemning the offence this caused.
Everyone is sick of ongoing lockdowns. No-one enjoys them. But few want to risk it all now by overwhelming the hospital system.
Most adults who have rolled up their sleeves for a jab have no problem with vaccine mandates where necessary. That's what the polls suggest.
Ministers who talk about "understanding the frustrations" of a wild, violent mob should also consider the frustrations of the majority.
David Speers is the host of Insiders, which airs on ABC TV at 9:00am on Sunday or on iview.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA5LTIzL21lbGJvdXJuZS1wcm90ZXN0cy1jb3ZpZC1sb2NrZG93bi12YWNjaW5lLWNvbnRyYWRpY3Rpb25zLzEwMDQ4MjgyNtIBKGh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMDA0ODI4MjY?oc=5
2021-09-22 19:01:15Z
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