If you’re living in Western Australia, here’s a handy tip: the humble Xbox is not considered “an essential good”.
The question came up during a press conference this afternoon in Western Australia, where the Premier and local Health Minister were giving an update on proceedings.
Western Australia has currently placed all residents in Peel and Perth into a “minimum 4 day lockdown”. Like Sydney, the health orders mean that residents are only supposed to “shop for essentials,” which includes medicine, necessary supplies, groceries and other things people need to get by.
But like in NSW, there’s been some confusion among retailers as to what does and doesn’t constitute an essential business. At the conference, WA Premier Mark McGowan explained that Officeworks would probably fall under the definition of an essential business because of some of the goods it does provide.
“Some people regard electronics as essential; others don’t. My children would say electronics are essential, I’d probably say they’re not,” Premier McGowan added at the conference.
That triggered a more specific line of questioning about what did and didn’t constitute essential goods, at which point WA Health Minister Roger Cook clarified what fell into the categories of essential goods.
“So an Xbox doesn’t cut it,” one journalist asked.
“An Xbox wouldn’t cut it, but perhaps sanitisers and other office cleaning equipment may cut it,” the Minister clarified.
So, there you have it. If you’re stuck in lockdown and haven’t got something to keep you busy, grabbing a quick console from the shops isn’t a valid reason. Getting a Xbox Series X and PS5 in Australia is still harder than getting a COVID jab, but on the bright side, at least the Xbox Series S is available.