A conundrum for the age. We would have more MIQ space if we could get more staff. We can’t get more staff; no one can get more staff.

We can’t get more staff according to the government because we don’t hire locals and we don’t pay them enough.

It seems odd the government has 200,000 people on their books without work but job ready, and yet they haven’t thought about paying those people enough to be security at MIQ

Meantime, we can’t get staff according to the rest of us because the borders are shut and the fear and isolation that has produced suits the government who love every minute of control, but its stopping labour arriving to solve the problem.

Add to that the study, possibly not as applicable given we have been able to work it through here for a while now, but the study that shows people who work from home will quit rather than return to the office.

The study conducted in America says a return for many will be a tipping point and they will walk.

Question: would you as employer, who can’t find staff, be keen to lose more staff by making a decision that you don’t have to make?

Next problem, mandated behaviour. In our case, jabs for workers at the border.

Is the fact so many workers aren’t jabbed yet as a result of government incompetence, or the fact they can’t afford to lose workers, therefore have stalled?

I suggest it’s a bit of both. Hence, even when they pretended to be all tough on Monday about new rules around vaccines, they said it would take till October. That would be well over a year and a half late.

The thinking being, if the border being closed is your trump card, you don’t want weakness around the border – sort of like we have had the entire time.

Next issue and we have barely thought about this because we don’t tend to think about stuff until after the problem arises: is mandating behaviour a legal mine field especially if you can’t get workers?

Is making people do stuff, either a jab or vaccine passport or any sort of mandated state control, one, legally enforceable in a practical and effective way, and two, not going to lead to lots of people creating a further headache by saying ‘stuff you, keep your job’?

The fact these questions are just being raised or still being sorted gives a good insight into the stark reality that this thing is not sorted this year, and quite possibly not next year either. Buckle in for the long haul.