The New South Wales coalition government has refused to modify COVID-19 restrictions to allow Victorian agricultural workers to enter their state to work on agricultural harvest and production.
Mr Drum said the National Party ministers including agriculture minister Adam Marshall and Deputy Premier John Barilaro had been ineffectual in ensuring their coalition partners understood the ramifications of the rules.
And the strangest thing, Mr Drum said, was that New South Wales had more to lose than Victoria by banning regional Victorian workers from crossing into the state.
“It's as if we are trying to save New South Wales from itself.”
Mr Drum has been besieged by people complaining about the impacts of the rules.
“We have been inundated with issues on entry from restrictions imposed by NSW.
“We have been frustrated and exasperated by the New South Wales Government.
“There's a tomato paste manufacturer at Barooga who needs workers from Shepparton. We're going to have contract harvesters who want to move into New South Wales to do the crops.”
A frustrated and angry Mr Drum said the New South Wales Government had stopped listening.
“This is the most frustrated I have ever been in the job.
“We have not been able to get them to move, one iota".
Mr Drum said the NSW National Party had evidently been unable to shift its Liberal partners, most likely due to fear of a Sydney-centric backlash.
He said ultimately the Liberal Government led by Gladys Berejiklian had to accept responsibility for the crazy situation where all regional Victorians were suspected of carrying the virus and had to go into a two-week lockdown, without any provision for workable alternatives which would keep NSW safe and give essential agricultural workers access.
Asked if he had been trying hard enough to influence his interstate National Party members, Mr Drum said he had been trying to contact them, but "they were not picking up".
He said the deputy premier was being stood over by health officials and other ministers had over-ridden him.
He said he was not asking for a complete relaxation of border rules, but for practical controls including a regime of testing for people who had a demonstrable need to enter the state.
Mr Drum said a national code was needed but he had no confidence one would be delivered at a meeting called by the Prime Minister for Friday.
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