As New South Wales reported the highest number of new COVID-19 cases of the current outbreak, its leader was nowhere to be seen and her fill-in rambled on and nearly didn't reveal some key information.
Social media is obliterating the performance of NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard at Saturday's daily press conference. With Premier Gladys Berejiklian missing from the stage, it was up to him to deliver the news that the state had recorded 319 new local cases - its highest number of the outbreak - and five deaths.
But Hazzard spoke for more than six minutes before he got to that point. It was ten minutes into the press conference before the minister revealed the Armidale Local Government Area (LGA), home to tens of thousands of people, was going into lockdown for a week. He was then about to hand over to a health official, when he realised he hadn't revealed five people had died with COVID-19 overnight.
Hazzard's appearance has been widely criticised.
"Great to focus upfront on vaccinations, as we should - but Hazzard waiting 10 mins to mention 30k people in Armidale going into lockdown, adding 'there have been some deaths' as the last thing... not great?" one person said on Twitter.
"This has been the most rambling and confusing public health message I have ever heard. I am not sure what on earth Hazzard was on about," said another.
"Governments pay eye-watering sums of money to media trainers to painstakingly train people not to do what Brad Hazzard just did," added a third.
With Hazzard struggling to get the people's support, many wondered where the state's Premier was on one of NSW's toughest days yet of the outbreak.
News.com.au was, in particular, outraged, with the media outlet's news editor Shannon Molloy writing a blistering editorial asking "where the hell is Gladys Berejiklian".
"Is she at the wheel, throwing everything she can at this disaster, with her eyes on every available option to steer Australia’s largest city and most critical economy through this crisis?
"Or is she having a lazy lie-in, ducking out for a coffee with her new squeeze, binge-watching the new season of Never Have I Ever or getting a start on her sourdough starter?"
It's not reported why the Premier wasn't present. When she missed another Saturday press conference in July, her office said she was still working.
Molloy described this Saturday's outing as a "total trainwreck".
"While Gladys took a breather, her rambling Health Minister Brad Hazzard popped out instead for an absolute masterclass in how not to communicate."
