The pre-Christmas relaxation of rules in the ACT and NSW has a forerunner: Britain has opted against lockdowns in the face of the vicious Omicron variant.
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It's gone for some tightening of the law on wearing masks - but without enforcement - even with predictions of a tidal wave of infections. Already numbers are rising exponentially.
One of Australia's most respected experts warns that the same tidal wave is likely to happen here. Australians are yet to realise how destructive Omicron will be, according to Professor Adrian Esterman, an epidemiologist at the University of South Australia.
He was speaking as the ACT and NSW relaxed tough regulations meant to keep infections and serious COVID illness down.
Professor Esterman said that people hadn't quite understood that the full two doses of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccination "gives almost no protection" against catching COVID. He believes that current relaxations of policy will have to be reversed.
"The early indications are that the Omicron variant is twice as infectious as Delta, but causes less severe illness and deaths among those infected - but the numbers infected will still be so high that health services will be put under severe strain," he said.
He pointed to modelling from the University of NSW which showed that there would likely be 25,000 cases a day in the state by the end of January. One answer is booster jabs but he feels that Australia has been too slow to adopt them.
This is in contrast to Britain and the United States which now allow people to have boosters three months after the second shot. Australia should lower the qualifying period from five months, Professor Esterman said.
His fears were expressed as the ACT and NSW relaxed controls (in contrast to Victoria and South Australia).
"In Adelaide, we've retained nearly all our public health measures which is the most sensible," he said.
In the ACT, health officials have just urged people to take personal responsibility for how they keep themselves safe as the government eased quarantine requirements.
"Except for close contacts of interstate cases, there will no longer be any restrictions on interstate travel to the ACT," Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said on Wednesday.
In NSW, QR codes have disappeared from supermarkets. On Wednesday, the state premier, Dominic Perrottet relaxed the definition of a "close contact" of an infected person. Only the closest contacts - family members, for example - will have to isolate for seven days.
Policies of governments are now diverging. Some - like those of the ACT and NSW - are tilting towards protecting the economy.
It is not just an Australian question of policy. There have been early warnings from Britain. On Wednesday, there were 78,610 new cases, up by 20,000 on Tuesday.
All the same, Britain has adopted the NSW and ACT approach of loosening regulations, and relying more on people choosing to be sensible. Urging and advice replaced instruction and regulation.
It is true that mask-wearing has just become mandatory again on public transport but the law was being widely flouted this week. On the Tube in London and on overground trains many people were unmasked.
The rules were not enforced on public transport or in shops where mask-wearing was also required.
Christmas parties have become politically sensitive. Whether "Christmas will be banned" plays heavily on tabloid front pages - and Prime Minister Boris Johnson is sensitive to headlines.
The upshot is that Mr Johnson's government is very loathe to ban gatherings. Instead, there is advice and urging. The UK's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Wednesday: "Don't mix with people you don't have to."
Mr Johnson has faced a storm of tabloid revelation about parties in 10 Downing Street last year when gatherings were forbidden. When ordinary Britons hunkered down, Conservative Party staff were photographed partying like there was no tomorrow. At least, the ACT and NSW governments don't suffer the scorn Mr Johnson receives, and at a time when trust in government is paramount. If people don't trust the government, they are unlikely to obey its instructions.
But will Australians obey tougher regulations if they are needed again? A taste of freedom is hard to give up.
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
