COUNCILLOR Alex Christian has criticised the premier for her reluctance to introduce separate COVID-19 restrictions for regional and metropolitan NSW to reflect the different experiences with the virus.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last week, Nine News reported that the NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian had considered loosening restrictions in some parts of the state, but did not want to go down that path.
"When you do have a two-tier system, it does imply that some parts of the state can't visit other parts," she was quoted as saying.
"It's also really important to provide certainty and simplicity, and the rules are complicated enough.
"As the premier of this state I'd like to think I can visit any corner of the state freely."
Cr Christian, who has been touting the idea of a regional bubble to protect places west of the Blue Mountains, hit back at the comments.
"To me, that sounds counter-intuitive to what we are trying to achieve," he said.
"I know people this side of the Blue Mountains don't want people coming out here from hotspot areas, and if I had it my way there would be no restrictions out here at all and non-essential travel would be implemented to stop people travelling to and from Sydney."
Cr Christian's biggest fear is the state seeing a surge in cases, like what happened in Victoria, and the virus cropping up in regional areas that have up until now been largely uninfected.
A return to tighter lockdown measures would have a detrimental effect on local businesses and impact further on mental health.
"I would love to see no restrictions out here, but we can't do that unless we cut ourselves off from Sydney," Cr Christian said.
ALSO MAKING NEWS: Bathurst NYE fireworks: Mayor's hoping to send out 2020 with a bang
Deputy premier John Barilaro has also spoken recently about the merits of different restrictions for regional NSW.
Mr Barilaro said that one set of restrictions for the entire state had been "fair until now", but he felt it was time to treat regional towns differently.
He said he wanted to see the four-square-metre rule scrapped and no caps on venues, saying regional NSW "shouldn't have to suffer because of Sydney".
"I'd suggest he's the only NSW minister listening to his country constituents," Cr Christian said of Mr Barilaro's comments.
"West of the Blue Mountains, I can't see why there's any restrictions on weddings, funerals, school events - if we can protect ourselves from Sydney, why would need these restrictions?"
He said the "one size fits all" approach wasn't fair to people in regional NSW and urged the government to reconsider the rules.
Ms Berejiklian has said she will keep an open mind on the issue.
