“I think Labor want to keep talking western Sydney down ... to project the concept of a victim mentality. That’s not the western Sydney I know.
“The western Sydney I know is full of hard workers,families that build communities,people that really did it tough during the pandemic,to make sure the rest of the city stayed open.”
Throughout the lockdown NSW Labor consistently accused the government of unfairly impacting residents and businesses in Sydney’s most disadvantaged areas with tougher measures.
TheHerald this week revealed Dr Chant had advised the government to implement “consistent measures” across Sydney during the lockdown in rules for outdoor mask-wearing,5km travel restrictions and authorised workers.
Instead,the extended lockdown left 12 LGAs in Sydney’s west and south-west under stricter restrictions,a move former premier Gladys Berejiklian repeatedly maintained as being based on health advice.
Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday stood by the strategy,pointing to the northern beaches lockdown last December as evidence the government only imposed harsher restrictions in areas where COVID-19 cases were concentrated.